Temptations
by xTheBoyOnFire
Summary: AU. When Peeta Mellark enrols at prestigious private school, Panem High, his journey from shy, small-town boy to the elite takes on a new meaning when he becomes involved with the school's hotshot quarterback, Cato. Peeta will have to learn to be true to himself in a world that threatens to take away every piece of his once-simple life. Peeta/Cato. Rated M for romantic content.
1. Resolutions

**Chapter 1: Resolutions**

The first day of school was always the hardest and today would be no different. Having switched schools in the middle of the semester to Panem High, the most luxurious school in town, I was sure that I was in for a rough semester. Besides the fact that my parents started working overtime at the bakery to afford the cost of tuition, there was also the unfortunate problem of having to make friends. _I was never good at making new friends_, I recalled. Luckily for me, my best friend since I was young had enrolled at this school at the start of the year and eagerly tried to have me switched over. After what felt like months of trying to convince my parents, they decided that the best way to calm my constant bickering was to give in to my desires.

My alarm woke me up at seven o'clock sharp, before my mother began shouting at me from the pantry downstairs. The sheets that currently enveloped me were warm to the touch, and having wrapped themselves around me throughout the night, threatened to keep me confined. I was never a morning person, but the best way to fix that was having a warm cup of brewed coffee on my way to school.

As I pulled myself from my bed, tossing the sheets aside, I was first captivated by the morning sunrise outside my bedroom window. It was mid-February here, but that never meant snow since we lived down south. The grass was greener than ever and the hourly sprinklers were currently hosing the yard down. I peered through the blinds to see a couple of teenagers racing down the street on their bikes, another neighbor walking onto his porch to retrieve the morning newspaper, and a couple of birds bathing themselves in the fountain in front of my house.

Another call from my mom took me from my thoughts and I raced to start the shower before she would come up to wake me physically. _It typically involved cold water or the smashing of pots and pans_, I remembered. As I pulled myself into the shower, I was struck with how cold the water was. I would have to remind my mom to fix the taps again before I left for school. I made sure to wash up quickly before running back to my room to pick out a nice outfit. I decided on a slim v-neck and a pair of dark wash jeans, which went nicely with my sneakers, before pulling out a thin sweater - just in case I got cold in class.

I managed to race downstairs before the next call from my mother, who was currently covered in a plum of dust as she cleaned behind the cabinet. "Peeta, this is the last time I'm going to call your—" she began before I chimed in.

"Didn't you hear the shower going? Which reminds me: the taps are broken again" I started, "anyways, I'm ready to go now. I thought I'd just take the car today…" My mother's face contorted into one of disappointment as she pulled the car keys from the hanger and told me that she'd drive me in for my first day. I didn't even have time to protest, before she threw her jacket on and was brushing off her pant legs fiercely.

I quickly grabbed a muffin from the kitchen counter and walked past my mother without passing a second glance. We weren't that close, my mother and I, but we did care about each other nonetheless. She closed the door behind me as it clicked into place, and then proceeded to lock it with the distinct sound of a small thud erupting from the side. She smiled as she walked beside me toward the car. Our car was nothing fancy. It was a nice blue color and it got us from point A to point B, but other than that it was pretty much garbage. I slammed the door beside me as I pulled myself into the front seat and a low growl of rust echoed into the car. I shook my head as my mother did the same. She knew how I felt about the car, but she constantly persisted that she would drive me whenever she had a day off. My dad would be running the bakery today, and I would take over his shift most nights after school. I'd have a couple of days here and there to catch up on homework and hang out with Katniss and Gale, but otherwise I'd be trying me best hand at new recipes.

"Are you excited for your first day, honey?" my mom called out as she put the car in reverse and began pulling out of the driveway, passing her head from side to side behind her shoulders to look for oncoming traffic.

"I mean, I'm sure it's going to be a little hectic at first. You've seen it – it's massive – so I'm sure I'll get lost on my way," I said, my mind racing back to the first time I laid eyes on Panem High. It was a large two-story building on the outskirts of the city, with countless rows of trees sheltering it from the plumes of smoke from nearby mills. It really was a different sight to behold. The richest of the richest lived on the other side of Panem High, and my mother made note to avoid it as much as possible. It reminded her of her past life, when she was first a little girl and her parents had all the luxuries they could offer her. But they couldn't offer her the one thing she needed most: love and acceptance. When she met my father, they evicted her and left her on the streets. They were ashamed of her decision to pursue a relationship with someone who wasn't in their close circle of friends.

The ride to school wasn't too long and while my mother babbled on about how proud she was to be able to send her son to such a lovely school, I looked out the window hoping to avoid any more discussions that involved me as the primary focus. My parents had been very cautious of me lately because they were afraid that I was holding in too much – never having anyone to confess my feelings too. This resulted in never ending discussions about my inability to be open with anyone, and _blah blah blah_. They wished I could be more like Katniss and Gale, who took any chance they could to make an impression on strangers. Unfortunately my busy schedule between school and work didn't really allow me to have much fun nowadays.

I took a glance at all the students filing into the school as my mother pulled into the school parking lot. You could tell exactly whom the jocks, nerds, and socialites were just by the cliques that grouped together. I noticed several girls bounding over one another, screaming in enthusiasm, and watched as they pulled several sets of pompoms from a pink car's trunk. _Cheerleaders_, I guessed. Next, I noticed a couple of guys gather together after one particular blonde threw a football toward another built brunette, who quickly managed to catch the toss.

"Are we just going to sit here, or are you going to get out and start making some friends before class?" my mother asked inquisitively as a smile rested itself on her face. I nodded as I left the car, slamming the door as she wished me the best of luck. I walked slowly over the grass toward the glass entrance of the school, noticing several white pillars that led up to the second level, where before my eyes stood a large raven. _The school mascot_, I reminded myself as I walked up the sets of stairs toward the door.

As I pulled open the first set of glass doors that led to another, a slender girl that had long blonde hair and gorgeous eyes tapped me on the shoulder. "You must be the new kid," she started as she watched me glare back at her curiously. "I'm Cashmere, but everyone here calls me Cash. I'm sort-of the tour guide around these halls for new students, and I'm pretty sure I've never seen your cute face around here," she said, as she gave me a smile that revealed an impressive row of brightly whitened teeth.

"Uhm, yeah, the names Peeta," I said as I offered her my hand. Instead of shaking it she immediately pulled me in for a hug and began to squeal.

"You're going to love it here!" she began, before apologizing and revealing that she was a hugger. "The classes are great, the faculty is super interesting, and the students are so cool," she said, glimmering those teeth once again. She sure was something else.

"Yeah, I was told that my schedule would be at the main office?" I asked, hoping for any excuse that could allow me to excuse myself from this conversation. _Don't get me wrong, the girl was gorgeous and all, but definitely not my type and she was bordering on crazy_, I mumbled to myself.

"Actually, I made it my mission to pick it up myself before class. Here you go," she said as she handed me a small white paper with a couple black scribbles on it. "I drew you a map on the back in case you get lose, oh and I listed off a couple names of people in the class that I know who would love to meet someone as cute as yourself," she said excitedly.

"Uhm…thanks. Who is," I started, eyes flickering over the paper until I found an interesting name, "Clove?"

"Oh, you'll absolutely love her! She and Glimmer," she started and pointed to another name on the paper before continuing, "are best friends. They practically do everything together – and I mean everything. From filing each other's nails to applying each other's make up, and even to liking the same guys," but before I could ask she waved her hand and finished. "Don't even get me started on that, because God knows how long that'd take."

"Alright then. If you don't mind me asking, is Mrs. Everdeen Katniss' mother?" I asked beckoning to my first class in room 204.

"That's right! How did you know that? Oh, never mind answering that. She teaches English and she is absolutely fantastic. Fantastic!" she repeated, as if I had not already heard her the first time. "Room 204 is upstairs in the fourth wing, so I'll bring you there myself. I have class right next door to it. How great is that!" she exclaimed, but the look on my face didn't exactly mimicked her excitement.

We made our way through the halls rather quickly, and I made reference to where the main office, the cafeteria and the gym were, before Cashmere was able to point out staircase A, which let up to the second floor. It was a rather long flight of stairs before we reached the top, where students were rushing from their lockers to class when the warning bell went off.

"You'll get used to the rushing around here. You do not want to be late for class, but it's really not a big deal when it's your first day," she said calmly, before passing a glance back to where I was panting at the top of the stairs. "You'll get used to those too," she laughed.

The upstairs hallways were just as beautiful as the ones downstairs, which were lined with an impressive row of black and blue lockers and several glass window frames that held trophies for various sports and competitions. Most were first place trophies, I could tell, from their size and the gold plating that lined each one. The floors were also quite remarkable compared to my last school. They were cleanly swept and decorated with square patterns. Cashmere led me to a door that had a gold plate on top with the number '204' engraved into it.

"Here we are!" Cashmere exclaimed. Her excitement was both thrilling and annoying at the same time, but if she were going to stick around him for a while, then he'd have to get used to it eventually. "I don't want to be late for class, so I'll see you in an hour and a half, okay?" she said before trailing off across the hall in a couple of bounds.

I watched as she opened the door across the hall and shut the door slowly, before I had the nerve to turn around and do the same. As the door opened, it unfortunately let out a small creak that alerted the students and the teacher to my presence. Before I knew it Mrs. Everdeen made her way over and gave me a reassuring hand over my shoulder as she guided me to the front of the class.

"Attention everyone. This is Peeta Mellark," she said loudly, as all the students looked up from their papers to adjust their eyes on me. "This is his first day at Panem High, so everyone be sure to give him a warm welcome." Most of the people in the class smiled at me before turning their heads back toward their work and Mrs. Everdeen pulled me aside closer to her desk. "How are things so far, Peeta? Katniss was so excited this morning when she remembered that it was your first day. Have you met up with her yet?" she asked. She gave me a slight turn of the head and her blue eyes met mine with caressing warmth. I spent countless days at Katniss' house after my work at the bakery, and she was like a second mother to me.

"Uhm, I haven't seen her yet," I said before she turned to meet my gaze once more.

"Oh, well I'm sure you will honey. Why don't you take an empty seat anywhere you like? We're just working on our journal entries for the day. The task is simple: all you have to do is write a paragraph about the chosen topic. Today's topic is "Resolutions"" she whispered. _She had a way with her students_, I inspected, as she gave me a small brush of the cheek before I went to sit at the back of the class.

The desks here were a lot larger than the ones at my old school. They sat two people were made of wood and black metal: more like tables than anything. I took a seat beside another boy, who was quickly kicked out of his seat by a slender boy with spiked hair and dashing looks. He had an impressive jawline that suited itself under his rosy cheeks as a smile trimmed the side of his lips. He wore a white cotton sweater and tight jeans that fit to his figure very nicely.

"Hey! I'm Finnick. Finnick O'Dair. Nice to meet you," he said as he gestured for me to return his handshake. I quickly patted the sweat from my palms over my pant leg before returning his hand, but was surprised when he kissed the top of it. "Sorry," he started when he seen my startled expression, "it's a habit of mine. Gets them every time," he continued with a wink.

"It's alright. I don't mind," I said as my eyes trailed over a strong-looking blonde who was staring at me. He may have been looking in my general direction, but he definitely had his sights locked onto mine. I felt my cheeks begin to blush and tried to avert my eyes, but I kept looking back at him. He was absolutely stunning. He had on a dark grey t-shirt that clung to his strong arms and straight-leg blue jeans. But it wasn't his keen choice in style that impressed me, but rather his blue eyes that seemed to mesmerize me the longer I stared into them. They weren't the blue you'd find when you'd pick out a color from a set of Crayola crayons, but more like the ocean: they had a tinge of green to them and all the while they were rocking back and forth against the cool blue of his irises.

I realized I had been staring back for quite a while before Finnick's speech pulled me from my enchantment, and I averted my gaze.

"…and you'll see that we've won practically ever competition to date," he grinned as his eyes met mine. He watched me for a while before asking if I had understood anything he had been saying for the last couple of minutes.

"Yeah, for sure. This is soccer, we're talking about, right?" I asked, as I clenched my teeth together hoping by some dramatic turn of events I had actually caught on to the sport he was talking about.

"Wake up pretty-boy! I was talking about swimming…" he trailed off into speech again. I didn't listen to much more of his speech as I watched the golden-haired boy with the amazing eyes turn back to a petite dark-haired girl with an unimpressive taste in style. _Why was he so interested in me?_ I thought as I put my pen to my paper and began writing my journal entry.

It was a short paragraph despite the amount of things I could have written down for the given subject. I decided I would list my resolutions out in point-form for the new semester: Make new friends. Be more outgoing. Get involved. Work harder. All the normal things people put down when they think of resolutions for a new year or a new term at school. But I jotted down one quickly before Mrs. Everdeen came to collect our papers. In a quick scribbling of black ink and a variety of misspelt words I wrote: "_Find out who mystery student is._"

Finnick gave me a quick nod as he pulled himself from his chair. The school bell rang shortly thereafter, as I managed to lug the set of books I had been given from my desk and to inspect where my next class was. _Room 200; Mrs. Wiress_.

I walked out of Mrs. Everdeen's class after giving her a short smile, to be reunited with my favorite new friend: _Cashmere._ I tried to take her from her rambling as to where my next class was. I caught the simple things like "how the professor was known as the lunatic of the bunch" and that "psychology was the perfect class for her madness," before I had to shout to ask her a question.

"Hey!" I shouted, which immediately caused a look of terror in her face as I stopped in the hallway to meet her gaze head-on. "I wanted to ask you about something…well, about someone to be exact," I began. I watched as her emotions flickered from fear to curiosity in a single moments time. "There was this guy…in my class. He was tall, blonde, incredibly blue eyes," and before I had time to finish my description, Cashmere had tuned in to exactly whom I was talking about.

"You must be talking about Cato. He's the school's number one bad boy. Not many people know too much about him, because he likes to keep to himself and the football team. Did I mention he's the quarterback for the football team? He's also one of the school's leading swimmers, alongside the school charmer, Finnick O'Dair." For once I appreciated the girls ability to list off a million unnecessary things. "Anyways! You came to the right girl, Peeta. Luckily, I'm one of his best friends. Sit with us at lunch after class, okay?" she said, but I was already starting to feel the anxiety set in.

The next class went by rather quickly, and just as Cash had mentioned: Mrs. Wiress was crazy. Not only was she babbling on about dreams and their ability to predict the future, but she also assigned an essay due by the end of the week. So far, I was not impressed with her. I made my way down the hall with Cashmere, who had met up with me after class, as we made our way to the cafeteria.

It wasn't the largest of food courts that I had ever seen, but the food looked delicious and the tables were made of mahogany, which was a step up from his last school that was for sure. In the cafeteria hung many banners of the school mascot, the names of those who graduated in the past couple of years, and the names of more elite athletes who had won championships.

I followed closely behind Cashmere so that I wouldn't lose her between the crowds of students that were either filing in or already sitting down to enjoy a nice meal. While we made our way into the cafeteria, I was led by Cashmere over to a small section, that she had mentioned was reserved for the school's elite, and found myself in a troubling position. Because as Cash beckoned for me to sit down, placing her tray onto the table and proceeding to talk with the girl beside her, I was left sitting face-to-face with the mysterious boy from my English class; my newfound crush: Cato.


	2. Introductions

**Chapter 2: Introductions**

It was like a scene from a horror movie. The one where the poor boy let's his guard down before being trampled over by the terrifying monster. Lunch went basically the same way, but only mildly as violent.

I placed my tray onto the table and watched as Cato's eyes shifted up and down, repeatedly inspecting my figure; _most likely sizing me up_, I thought. He had a small grilled sandwich on his plate with a side of linguine, and a bottle of coca cola.

I was so nervous that I had forgotten to take my seat, before I was interrupted by Cashmere's outburst. "Are you just going to stand there? Come on, sit down will you. Everyone this is Peeta. Peeta this is Clove," she started and the small girl with dark hair from my English class smiled back at me before she continued down the line. I took note that Glimmer sat across from Clove, who was currently seated beside Gloss. I recognized Gloss as being the guy who had caught the football this morning in front of the school.

"He's my older brother," Cash chimed, before both smiled their dashing white teeth at one another mockingly. Beside Gloss was Cato, who was still gawking at me like a piece of meat. On his other side stood Marvel, a lean looking guy with a coy smile. He was currently wearing a track & field sweater that was mostly black with red stripes on the shoulders and a raven logo. I watched as he took a large guzzle of his soda before giving the rest of us a quick smile, and then he was gone in a flash.

"Yeah, Marvel's usually always on the go. He's the star javelin thrower for our team. And before you say anything, yes, our school does consider javelin a professional sport," Cashmere said, as she watched me inspect the empty seat beside Cato.

I managed to steal a glance at Cato who had turned to whisper something to Gloss, before the two began laughing loudly. Instead of staring any longer, I lowered my head to inspect what Cashmere had placed on my tray. There was a slightly overcooked bowl of pasta that had mushrooms and cheese layered over it, and a pasty alfredo sauce. On the side were two small dishes: one contained a few friends and one had a piece of garlic bread that was still warm to the touch. I thought I'd better start eating before it got cold; I was interrupted once again however by a flirtatious hand that swept over the small of my back, and watched as Finnick O'Dair strutted down the cafeteria. _Even his walk was captivating_, I mumbled to myself under my breath.

I turned back to face the others to catch a stone cold glare from Cato, who elbowed Gloss in the side, before they pulled themselves up from their seats and vanished out the side door. I could still see them through the glass wall as Cato began furiously screaming at Gloss – his hands rocking back and forth over his head carelessly. _What was his problem?_…I thought questioningly, passing a quick glance toward the two boys.

"Don't mind, Cato. He gets like this sometimes. He'll cool down soon," the blonde girl across from me said, as she motioned to the two outside. I just nodded in understanding before lowering myself to my plate, to begin eating. The food was verging on lukewarm and it was as delicious as it first looked. Working in a bakery for a great deal of my life had made me underestimate most foods before actually attempting to try them. If it wasn't presentable, then I wasn't eating it.

Before things could get any better, another girl sat down beside me with a loud clang against the seat. She had black and red hair and a small face. She had a distinctive piercing on her ear that connected with bottom lobe. I didn't have much time to inspect her before she turned to look at me infuriated. "Do you see something you like? Well, don't bother," she said crossly. Turning back to the others she started to complain about a certain boy who she wanted to pummel the next chance she got.

Lunch thankfully ended as quickly as it began. The sound of the school bell gave a warning to students to begin preparing their binders and books for the following class, before a final bell. Cash had made it clear for me to be in class before the final bell, or else I would be in for a nasty lesson on what it meant to be responsible. Cato and Gloss had rejoined the group as the bell had sounded, so I rushed off as to avoid any more unnecessary run-ins with the dashing blonde.

Katniss had once told me that I had a way of luring in the "bad boys" in town, because I wanted a reason to rebel against the strict rules of my parents. I never really passed a second thought over it, until Cato. He had just become the latest in my frequent fascinations with the rebellious jocks.

I wasted no time making my way from lunch to third period because I knew that Katniss and I had that class together. The professor was Mr. Cinna, and Cashmere had told me that he was one of the school's "coolest" teacher's. She mentioned that he would always wear sunglasses during class, no matter the weather outside, and he also taught the fashion class – which Cashmere and Katniss both took as electives this semester. I had a passion for painting, which meant that I was even more excited for this class with Katniss. The curriculum consisted of learning watercolors, pastels, and shading techniques along with several other platforms.

I made my way into the class to see that Katniss had already made her way to the back. She was currently filing through different paintbrushes and adjusting her apron behind her clothes.

"Need some help?" I asked her, before she looked up at me with a smile.

"Peeta! It feels so great to see you here! And to think we have a class together for four months!" she exclaimed as she gleamed at me. She had her hair pulled back into a single piece that rested over the side of her right shoulder. _She wore hardly any make-up,_ I noticed, but I could see a thin streak of black eyeliner under her blue eyes. I closed the distance between us before I grabbed the small fabric string and began tying a knot. "How was your morning?" she asked, breaking the silence between us.

"It was alright. I got a full-tour and an earful from a girl called Cashmere," I said matter-of-factly, until Katniss shot me a worried expression.

"Yeah, she's nice and all, but she hangs out with the wrong crowd," she said, as she motioned for us to take a seat near the middle of the class. I walked over to a black desk that had four chairs around it, each with a distinct portrait of an object or two on them. I chose a seat that had a painting of a variety of fruit: there were red and green apples, purple grapes, a rather-large orange, and a couple bananas. Katniss situated herself beside me. Her chair had a portrait of a blue jay that was picking at some red berries on a branch.

"What do you mean by 'the wrong crowd'?" I asked, before the conversation could move on.

"Well for starters, Cashmere likes to associate herself with the jocks and the cheerleaders. They're pretty arrogant if you ask me," she said simply. She continued when she seen my unwavering expression. "Okay, and besides that they are ridiculously good-looking and each one of them knows it. They think they own these halls," she added. Her expression had gone from calm to hysterical in a matter of seconds. "They sit in the corner of the cafeteria – which obviously has the best view of the rose garden – and they think it entitles them to some sort of respect. Which reminds me…Where were you at lunch? Gale and I were looking all over for you," she asked me, intently staring me down.

I was saved from Katniss' wrath when Mr. Cinna walked into the room. Just as Cash had said: he looked like some bar-crashing rock star with metrosexual clothing and a pair of black shades resting over his eyes. His sunglasses covered most of his face; they were obsidian black with silver trimming that contained a distinctive mockingjay symbol on either side of the frame. He wore a black leather jacket that covered most of his brown t-shirt and super skinny jeans.

"Good afternoon class!" he exclaimed as he made his way from the door toward his desk. "As each of you has probably discovered, there is a unique portrait on each of your chairs. This will be your task for the next two days. Replicate your image as best you can. Feel free to talk or text however much you like," Mr. Cinna finished before adding that he preferred if we called him just "Cinna." I placed the painting of fruit in front of my canvas and gestured for Katniss to pass some of the paint down to my end of the table.

I decided that I wouldn't push our conversation any further, in case she asked any more questions about Cashmere and the others, so instead I decided to ask about Gale. "Speaking of Gale, where is he?" I asked, never taking my eyes off the canvas in front of me. I splattered several colors onto a palette before I started. I decided to focus mostly on the Cornucopia for today since it was the centerpiece of the entire illustration. It was a golden brown color with a wide mouth where the fruit seamlessly poured. I decided to use a mixture of yellows and browns to get the shade just right.

"He has woodshop right now. I believe he's in mathematics with you next period," she responded after a short while. She was so focused on her blue jay that her hair was practically falling into the paint. I managed a low chuckle before pointing it out. She complained that her hair was significantly too long but managed to join me in laughter.

"I haven't seen him in forever, you know," I replied after we managed to pull ourselves together. "I miss him…" I said sadly, a small smile still making its way to my lips.

"Yeah, it's been a while since we all hung out together. Hey! Why don't you come over after your shift at the bakery tonight?" she asked, dropping her paintbrush and focusing on me alone. It was hard to deny that pretty face, so I shook my head in acceptance. She squealed before turning her attention back to her blue jay. It looked more like a plane than it did a bird, but I didn't want to discourage her, so I kept my mouth shut.

* * *

The class ended sooner than it had begun, as both Katniss and I rushed to clean off our splattered paintbrushes under warm water. I decided that she could wash them as I folded our aprons and put them on the hanger. Cinna approached me before we could duck out of class unnoticed, remarking that he had never seen such a detailed Cornucopia before. If I remember correctly, he had said, "I think you're version is a thousand times better than the original. Keep up the good work." He smiled before opening the door for Katniss and I, who eagerly rushed off to our lockers.

I had yet to place anything in my locker, since I was unaware that I was given one in the first place. I managed to carry around most of my books for the day, but luckily Katniss showed me to my own on the second level. It was rather spacious, and fit more than all my supplies. I decided that I would leave my sweater here during mathematics, since I was burning up most of the day during my run-ins with Cato.

On the way to our lockers we had passed by Clove and Cato who I noticed had never left each other's side up until the altercation at lunch. He watched me as I walked with my binder in my arms at a casual pace, alongside Katniss. I decided to make conversation in order to ease my nerves. I cleared my throat before I asked:

"So…are those two like…a thing?" I stuttered. It came out a lot worse than I had expected and my voice quivered with each syllable.

"Cato and Clove? God no, they've been friends for years. They come from the same area in town. Their families are pretty rich; both their fathers are stonemasons," Katniss replied. She peeked a glance toward Cato and Clove as she did so, before turning back to me curiously. "Why do you ask?" she continued.

"I have a class with Cato every morning. I just sort of noticed that they're practically inseparable. No reason really," I lied, hoping that Katniss wouldn't catch me being untruthful with her.

"Oh, all right!" she replied, simply.

I made my way to the first floor as quick as I could, hoping to avoid any potential sightings of Cato along my way. He seemed to be everywhere in the school. I secretly enjoyed seeing him, but the way he stared at me so intently was beginning to creep me out a little.

I rounded the corner with my books in my hands only to run into a taller figure, sending my books crashing to the ground. They scattered everywhere as students in the hall who were eagerly rushing to class attempted to avoid trampling them with their feet. I turned back to the tall male to apologize for not looking when I noticed his gleaming eyes and shaggy brown hair.

"Gale!" I said, a little too loudly. A couple of students in the hall gave me a nasty look before turning away shaking their heads. "Katniss told me we had mathematics together, isn't that awesome!" I exclaimed, trying to calm myself down.

"Yeah, I've been waiting for this class all day. Not that math is my strong suit or anything…but I haven't seen you in ages so I was so excited when I found out we had Mr. Beetee for the same class," he replied, his enthusiasm almost as big as my own. He continued to make conversation as he motioned toward the first book that had fallen to the ground. "I heard you and Katniss have art together. Isn't Cinna the bomb?" he joked.

"He's pretty relaxed, I have to say," I replied between fits of laughter. _It was going to be a good semester_, I thought.

The final bell went off just as Gale and I entered the class. I could see that it was a much smaller class then the art room and nowhere near as decorated. The walls were mostly plain, with a couple posters about algebra here and there. The desks were singular, but the seats looked rather comfy compared to the ones in English and Psychology.

"If I calculated this right, you two must be Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne," Mr. Beetee called out from the other side of the room. He glanced down at his clipboard before looking back up toward us. "Gale, I have you sitting next to Johanna in the fifth row. Peeta," he began as he inspected me. "I have you sitting next to…let's see here…Cato, in the first row over here by the window."

I don't know what sank first: my expression or my heart. I turned to catch a glimpse of the boy sitting in the second row beside an empty seat. I gulped before making any movements toward him. I must have looked terrified, because as I slowly made my way over to him I caught Gale watching me inquisitively. I managed the couple of feet it took before I pulled myself into my seat and rested my books onto the desk.

I wanted to see if he was still staring at me, but I was too afraid to look at him, so instead I watched Mr. Beetee begin writing on the board. We took notes for the better half of the hour until the teacher instructed that we were to each say something about ourselves to the class before we left. _Wonderful_, I thought. It was even worse when Mr. Beetee said that he would be starting on my side of the room and then making his way over toward where Gale was sitting.

It wasn't long before I was up, so I pulled myself from my seat and looked around at the class in horror. I swept my hands against my pant leg to dry of the sweat that was accumulating since the announcement that we would be speaking aloud, and swallowed a large gulp of air before I said anything.

"My name's Peeta Mellark and I'm 17 years old. It's my first day here at Panem High. I work at my family bakery and I have a passion for art," I said as fast as I possibly could. My voice mustn't have been too audible, because most of the class looked at me curiously before Mr. Beetee signaled that I could take my seat again.

I didn't pay attention to any of the other speakers, before Cato began to talk. I was still recovering from my nerves when I looked up at his towering form. Being this close to him allowed for me to inspect his figure. He had muscular arms, a defined chest, and nice, fit legs that must have resulted from swimming. His voice didn't falter when he started to talk, and I noticed that it was very particular: it wasn't entirely deep, but it was definitely low and manly.

"My name's Cato and I'm 18 years old. I'm the quarterback of the football team and the co-captain of the swimming team. As you can see I have a passion for sports, but I'm also passionate about luxury automobiles and the ladies," he said, as multiple girls started to scream out his name. He turned to look at me before taking his seat.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," he said firmly, as he turned to look up at the next speaker.

"You're one to talk, Mr. Ladies Man," I said between clenched teeth. I didn't realize that I had vocalized what I was thinking, and in no time at all Cato had turned to me and gave me a small wink.

_What game are you playing at Cato?_…I thought to myself.

The bell rang just before reaching Gale, so Mr. Beetee suggested that we would continue tomorrow at the beginning of class. I was so thankful that the day was finally over, but unfortunately I had to make my way to the bakery for a small shift. I hoped that it would go by fast, so that I could meet up with Katniss and Gale and catch up on all the latest gossip.

* * *

My dad had left the bakery an hour or two after I got here, so I was left to manage on my own for the rest of the night. I made a tray of chocolate éclairs and strawberry-filled pastries, and set them into the display at the front of the store. It was just about closing time, and Katniss and Gale would be here soon to give me a ride over to the Hawthorne household. I was currently placing a couple of cakes into the fridge for the night, when I heard the bell ring at the register.

I washed my hands off quickly as I shouted to the customer that I would be there shortly. I clenched a towel to dry off my hands and started walking to the front of the bakery. The back of the bakery was where all the magic happened: all the chocolate, berries and whipped toppings were stored back here. The front counter was cut into two. On one side there was the register and the large display of available treats and the other side contained order forms and images for special occasions; events such as birthdays, anniversaries, parties, etc.

I came around the corner to see a young guy with tight clothing and nicely gelled hair. _Oh no_, I thought, as my eyes crept up toward his face. _Please no, please no, please no_, I kept repeating under my breath.

"That's no way to treat a customer, Mellarky," the figure spoke. When my eyes locked onto his face, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Finnick.

"Hey! What are you doing here? Can I get something for you?" I gestured to an impressive row of cupcakes, and then to the fresh batch of éclairs and pastries. "These just came out of the oven, and the éclairs are so rich you'll be dying for the whole batch," I said, smiling at Finnick who looked awestruck by the amount of choices.

"I thought I'd stop by and visit my new friend," he said matter-of-factly, before he gave me a flirtatious wink. "I think I'll take one of those cherry pastries, please," he added, before reaching to his pocket.

"No no, that's not necessary. Today's order is on the house," I replied.

"Well in that case, I'll take a coffee, double-double please," Finnick exclaimed.

"Alright, alright. Just not the whole bakery, okay?" I said jokingly.

Before long Finnick had his coffee and his pastry, which was currently situated in a take-home box, and he was heading out the door. He stopped when he got to the handle, and turned back to me. "I have a question for you," he started.

"So that's why you really came," I laughed.

He chuckled a little too, before continuing. "The desserts were just an added bonus…Anyways, don't take this offensively, I just wanted to know: are you into boys?"

His question completely took me off-guard as I leaned into the counter a little too far and the pan I had placed from earlier buckled under the pressure. Before I knew it I had face-planted into the counter. A shriek came from Finnick who rushed back to try and help me.

"I'm alright, I'm alright," I said reassuringly, as I pulled myself together. "The answers yes, Finnick. But tell me one thing before you go: How did you know?"

"Well, to be honest, I seen the way you were staring at Cato in English this morning. You were completely zoned out from me, and I watched your cheeks blush when your eyes made contact," Finnick replied honestly.

"Oh…" I began before he cut me off.

"And…most people recoil when I kiss them," he interrupted. My mind flashed back to English class this morning before I had locked my sights onto Cato. _Finnick had kissed my hand, when I thought he wanted a handshake_, I recalled.

"Yeah…" I said, but his question had made my mind jumble and I couldn't collect myself enough to manage too many words. "Does that freak you out, or are you cool with—" I managed before being cut off.

"Trust me, we're cool," Finnick replied, a small grin resting itself on his face. "If you don't mind me asking: do you have a crush on Cato?" he said, which took me off-guard once again. Fortunately, I was able to formulate a one-word answer to his question:

"Yes."

During the midst of our intense conversation, I had forgot that Katniss was on her way to pick me up; nor had I heard her step in the room alongside Gale only moments before I confessed my feelings to Finnick.

"I knew it!" Katniss screamed.


	3. Influences

**Chapter 3: Influences**

"Katniss, it's not what you think!" I exclaimed, as I rounded the counter to stand beside Finnick. She was only a few feet in front of me now, although she felt like she was a mile away. Gale had turned to sit down in the window seat, and had tuned most of our conversation out. _Typical of Gale_, I thought. He was never one for conflict. He lived a simple life, really. The Hawthorne's stayed out of trouble when they could, and Gale had never aspired to leave town after school. He mentioned once that he wanted to join his father in the coalmines on the outskirts of town, because it was good money for terrible working conditions. My reflections were cut off when Katniss motioned for us to join Gale at the table. Finnick was the first to move, before I slowly walked over to join them, making sure to change the front sign to "closed" on my way. Finnick had stayed to help clear the air, most likely, but Katniss and Gale rarely indulged in his free time. He was everyone's friend in town – he had a way with people, unlike any other – but Katniss and Gale weren't interested in playing along.

The seat was cold to the touch from the draft of the night breeze against the window frame. Katniss broke the silence as I stole a glance toward her. Her hair was currently pulled down – a good look for her – and her bangs drooped down to cover her eyebrows.

"You've been at Panem High for one day, and you're telling me that you're interested in one of the only boys at our school with a bad reputation?" Katniss started. Unfortunately she wasn't finished, as I tried to respond and was quickly silenced. "You don't even know him, Peeta! He's been in so much trouble with the law. And what would your parents think if they caught you with him? He's from a whole other world, Peeta. His family is practically bathed in luxury items and they host massive parties at their mansion nearly every weekend," Katniss said sternly. Her eyes were laced with concern as she bit into her lips. _She had a horrible habit of doing that_, I recalled.

Finnick was the next to speak, and he didn't necessarily help my situation when he stated that their parties were, and I quote, "killer." _Whatever that meant_, I mumbled to myself. Gale was currently texting someone intently on his phone, never once passing a glance up to make eye contact with any of us. I recalled him saying that he was head-over-heels for some dumb blonde, but I couldn't bring myself to remember her name since that night. Instead, I just looked away and allowed him to continue his conversation in peace.

"I never said that I was going to pursue anything with him, Katniss. I think we have a misunderstanding: I said that I have a crush on him, not that I was his boyfriend," I started. Immediately my mind raced to the idea of us together, walking along the rusty old pier by our family cottages. I imagined being introduced to his parents, who I believed would be over-the-top, but nonetheless accepting of our newfound love affair. I considered the idea of driving to school together, in his surely outrageously expensive ride. I imagined looking into his eyes every morning as I woke up next to him. But then again, I managed to consider the very real likelihood that he was only into drop-dead gorgeous girls with diamond timepieces and crystal earrings. "I don't even know if he's into guys, and even if he was, I wouldn't want to put myself in a position that could jeopardize our friendships," I stated, before passing a sympathetic glance between both Katniss and Gale.

"For starters, that boy is definitely not into guys. Trust me. He's with a new girl every week," Katniss said, her tone morbidly sarcastic. "At least we're on the same page now. Cato's bad news, and nothing but trouble if you ask me. So, I suggest that you stay away from him – no matter how beautiful he may look," she added, before giving me a supportive glance.

Gale was still hacking away at his phone as if it were bubble-wrap and Finnick was gesturing toward the door. I gave him a slight nod as he waved his hand in a goodbye manner and gave us all a flirtatious wink, before the door closed behind him. Katniss was eagerly anxious to leave for Gale's house, because his mother made a wonderful batch of cookies every time we would gather there.

The rest of the night was a blur. I hardly remembered the drive there, other than the fact that Gale was driving, and Katniss had taken up the passenger seat, leaving me to sit in the back. I remembered using this time to think about Cato and the others, and what it would mean for me now that I was stuck between their two worlds. _Cashmere doesn't seem overly bad_, I thought, _other than the fact that she loves to hear herself talk of course_. Surely Cato had some issue with me, but I hadn't had any reason so far as to group him with the other bad boys that I had met in my lifetime. I hardly recalled making our way from Gale's truck to the house, either. I had remembered nothing from our discussions that night, other than the fact that Gale continued to text some mysterious girl all night and Katniss kept asking about Cato. She was rather curious as to what attracted me to him in the first place, but she made the connection between his golden-locks and his muscular figure.

"I kind of thought that you were interested in him, when you asked me in the hall if he and Clove were an item," Katniss had said. She raised her head in pride, when I breathed a sigh and admitted to it. Her tone became more serious and concerned as she went on. "Do you ever get tired of the disappointment, Peeta? I don't mean that offensively, it's just that it never seems to work out. Well, there was that one time, with what's his name…what was his name again?" Katniss added, both serious and questioningly.

"Titus," I said, reflecting back to the time that I had thought he was the one. "We dated for a little over two months, before things went a little sour," I added, thankful that our relationship ended when it did. He was possessive and didn't appreciate me spending my extra time with Katniss and Gale. I recalled that he had always believed that Gale and I were somehow involved, but even though I denied his statement each time, he would never really believe me. Instead, he would just nod in understanding before turning the conversation toward something else. I was aware that Katniss was still awaiting an answer to her question, when she stared at me from the bed with her eyebrows raised. Even Gale had looked up from his phone to see why the conversation had died. "I guess I've gotten used to the rejection. It's really not a big deal. I move on with my life when I see that it's not going anywhere. I'm sure this whole situation with Cato will be the same as the others. I mean, he wouldn't stop staring at me all day, but it was probably because he was intimidated by my dashing looks," I added jokingly.

"He was staring at you? Really?" Gale inquired. His voice was hardly audible since he had been silent for a wealthy amount of time, before finally speaking up.

"Yeah, he stared at me in class, and at lunch, and then in fourth period during our speeches," I said, before both turned to look at each other and back to me with eyebrows furrowed in rage. _Did I say something wrong?_ I thought.

"What was that last part?" Katniss said quickly.

"Her stared at me during fourth period—" I began, but Katniss' voice rang out mid-sentence.

"Not that part. The one before it. Something about lunch?" Katniss questioned.

"I sat with them all at lunch and he was staring at me," I replied. Unfortunately the words escaped before I had a chance to grasp what I was saying, and then both hands systematically rose to cover my mouth. I knew Katniss' caught me before I could get a chance to recover, because she rose to her feet and said that she forgot she had to be somewhere. I was sure that she did not have to be anywhere this late, but I allowed her go, knowing that I would not be able to fix this in a nights work. _I had lied to her_, I noted. The door slammed on her way out, as I turned to look back at Gale, who was currently biting his lip and avoiding my gaze. "I'm sorry, Gale! Cash asked me to sit with them, and I couldn't find either of you, so I just went with it," I said, hoping there was a slight sense of forgiveness left in him.

"You even call her by her nickname, that's incredible," Gale said sarcastically. I knew he wasn't mad at me, because he flashed me a smile before showing me his phone. "I'm not angry with you. In fact, that blonde I was telling you about has been helping me to confess my feelings for Katniss." I looked at the screen name on his phone and was shocked when I read that it was Glimmer. I had known since we were younger that Gale had a thing for Katniss. I watched every summer, as he would steal any secretive glance he could in her direction.

"I'm assuming that Katniss has no idea that you and Glimmer are friends?" I grinned.

"Not in the slightest," he responded. "And if you say anything, I might just have to kill you," he teased, before he tackled me into the bed.

Mrs. Hawthorne chose the perfect time to open the door, to ask us if we wanted anything to eat or drink, since currently Gale was lying overtop of me. "Sorry, boys!" she exclaimed, before slamming the door. "Didn't mean to interrupt!" she called through the door.

"Get in here mom, you know we're just fooling around," Gale said, grinning as she opened the door to meet us with a large smile. Our laughter threatened to wake up the neighbors, and eventually I fell asleep on his bed while Gale took up the couch in the corner of the room.

I dreamt about capturing the perfect sunrise in the meadow behind my house. I sat in in the emerald green grass with my drawing book in hand, the forest towering before me, as I colored in the profound shades of orange. This was my favorite color, and I would try my best to look out every morning and night to catch a peek at it. My dreams took a drastic turn, when I felt the warm brush of skin against my face, and I turned to meet Cato's twinkling gaze.

* * *

Gale and I had made our way to school early the next morning. He parked the car further out in the parking lot than most, so we had to walk a fair amount before we reached the steps that led up to the glass doors. On our way, I noticed Gloss and Cato walking behind us. I turned to meet Cato's eyes, before nervously looking ahead once again.

I heard Cato whispering something to Gloss about something along the lines of spray-paint. I was sure that it wasn't good so I tuned out before listening to any more unnecessary banter.

As we made our way into the school, Gale had to take a left to where his locker was down the hall, before I made my way upstairs. My locker was further than both Katniss and Gale, but luckily Katniss' locker was on the second level as well. I passed by her and luckily received a small smile, before the slammed her locker door and proceeded off to some unknown class.

I heard the warning bell ring, so I eagerly pushed my book bag into my locker and grabbed my English books. I walked at a fairly quick pace so that I wouldn't be late for class – fearful of receiving any sort of punishment in front of Cato. _That would be embarrassing_, I thought. But as the odds were not in my favor lately, I slipped on a sheet of paper on the way, and had to recover my books, before the final bell rang out. I questioned whether or not I should go to class at this point, but I couldn't get into bad habits on the second day of school.

When I made it to the door, I took a deep breath before placing a hand on the doorknob and pushing it open. I caught a glimpse of Mrs. Everdeen who casually gave me a shake of her head, a small reassuring smile, and then made my way to my desk. Finnick was already sitting down before I managed to take a seat. He was gleaming up at me currently, which made me nervous.

"Hey! Thought you weren't going to make it tough guy," he said, his tone half-joking. I flashed him a panicked smile, before asking what the topic of the day was. "You're going to love this one," he started, "it's 'lies'." I knew a great deal about that, which was for sure. Most recently, my altercation with Katniss was on my mind, but I was pretty sure that her mother wouldn't want to here about my troubles.

"Mellark!" someone exclaimed from somewhere beyond Finnick's side. I turned to see that it was Cato, who was bent down trying to whisper something in my direction. My palms immediately began to perspire and I felt my cheeks warm with what was surely a blush. Finnick chuckled lowly, before turning his head away. _Was it that obvious?_ I mumbled. "Nice job being late on the second day! You even beat my record," he said, and as quickly as it began he had turned back to his journal entry.

Finnick was trying desperately to keep his composure, but as soon as Cato had turned away, he became laughing.

"What are you so smug about?" I said grudgingly.

"It was almost sad seeing you try to keep your composure like that. Unfortunately you're an open-book though," he chuckled. I felt my cheeks begin to redden again, and turned back to my paper to focus my thoughts on something other than Cato.

When class had finished, a petite girl approached me and pulled me aside. I looked up to see that it was Clove. She was better dressed today and yet her expression was not all too pleased when she began to speak. "Cato wants you to meet him tonight. Here at the school. 10pm sharp," she said, before turning and running off.

"But the school's closed then!" I called out after her, but Clove never turned to pass a glance back. I was really confused by the idea that Cato would want me to meet him, much less that he wanted me to meet him here, at school, tonight. Instead of standing there all day and being gawked at by Mrs. Everdeen, I passed her a quick smile and ran out the door.

The rest of the day went by rather quickly. Art with Cinna and Katniss was yet again the best class of the day. We had to hand in our portraits at the end of class, and to my surprise Katniss' blue jay wasn't all that bad. Cinna gave me a pat on the shoulder, before accepting my portrait of the fruit bowl. I incorporated a variety of shades into the orange, when I gathered my thoughts long enough to remember my dream from the previous night. It was just another reason to think about Cato, on top of the mess of thoughts already scattering through my head.

I noticed Cato had avoided his gaze when I walked in to fourth period, mathematics. I walked over and quickly took my seat, before Mr. Beetee gestured for Gale to start the public speaking this afternoon. Gale only mentioned a few things before taking his seat nervously. He passed a glance over to me when he was done, and I gave him a thumbs up to relieve any nervousness that he may have had left.

My thoughts were circling around Cato for the better half of the hour before I could take it no longer. I had to say something to him, but just as I did I received a warning glance from Mr. Beetee who had been eyeing me for the past few minutes. _He must have noticed that I wasn't working on the question sheet_, I thought.

I wouldn't get a chance to say anything to Cato before the final bell went off, signaling that both class and the school day were now over. I gathered my books and quickly put them into my locker, before running down the stairs to meet Gale. He had promised to give me a ride home after school today, since my mom was busy working at the bakery and my dad had to attend to some business out-of-town. I met him at his locker before noticing that Cato's locker was just a short distance from his. I motioned that I was going to walk over to say something, before Gale's arm halted my pathway.

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Here comes Katniss. I forgot to tell you, but I promised I would give her a ride home first," Gale suggested. I wasn't overly pleased that I wouldn't be able to confront Cato before tonight, but I had to accept the facts and maybe this would be a good opportunity to fix things with Katniss. After all, she was my best friend. Her and Gale both.

"Hey Gale!" she exclaimed, before passing a glance toward me. "Peeta," she said simply. Katniss was wearing a nice black and blue top and tight black jeans. She wasn't one to dress up, but today was an exception apparently.

"Nice outfit! Looks great on you," I said, hoping that by complementing her she would be open to conversation. She managed a small "thank you," before Gale asked us if we were all prepared to leave.

We walked in silence to Gale's truck that I remembered was parked all the way across the parking lot. It was nice to feel some fresh air against my skin, and to breathe in the smell of freshly watered flowers. When we had made the halfway point, I managed to steal a glance back at the school to try and catch a glimpse of the blonde. Luckily he was a couple feet from the door and making his way down the stairs alongside all the others. I noticed that Glimmer was exceptionally quiet, compared to the others who seemed to be deep in discussion as they walked.

I turned my head back to see that we were only a couple of feet from Gale's truck. It was decided that I would take the passenger seat this time, since Katniss' house was closer to the school than mine. Minutes passed slowly, as we all listened to the radio in silence. After about ten or fifteen minutes, Gale pulled the truck up into Katniss' driveway, and she said a short goodbye to both of us before Gale put the car in reverse.

"Well, that went well," Gale said sarcastically, as he began laughing to himself. "I don't understand why she's so stubborn about this Cato kid…I mean, Glimmer isn't half-bad," he added.

"Gale…I need to tell you something," I said, not turning my face away from the open-window. I knew he was staring at me, before I began to speak. "Clove invited me to the school tonight, after it's closed. She said that Cato wants to meet me. Do you think I should go?" I said, but I knew that whatever Gale said, I couldn't pass up this opportunity. I just had to know what Cato's fascination with me was, and why he preferred to meet after school hours._ I mean, why couldn't he approach me in English himself, instead of sending Clove? _I thought.

"No way!" Gale said, before adding, "I don't know about this, Peeta. It's one thing to ask you to meet him at lunch, and another to invite you to Panem High after dark…" He trailed off, but I knew that his voice was only laced with concern for me. He cared for me no matter how much he would deny it. We frequently had sleepovers at each other's houses, we texted throughout the day, and we had been friends for as long as I could remember.

"Yeah…I probably won't go," I said, but I could tell that Gale knew better.

"Peeta, Peeta, Peeta…I hope its worth it," he said concerned, as he then proceeded to wink at me. I had never thought about it that way, but I was sure that Cato just wanted to talk. _What about?...I had no idea, _I thought to myself.

* * *

I gathered my things and snuck out to the garage where my mom's car was waiting for me. I made sure that she was asleep before stealing the keys from the key holder.

The journey to the school was longer tonight. The roads were nearly all silent, only passing a couple cars here and there. The school itself was completely dark in the distance, and only the sign that read "Panem High Private School," signaled that I had made it to my destination. The building looked eerie tonight, as the wind blew against the line of trees that circled the parking lot.

I eagerly made my way from the car to the school, passing a glance to my left to see that Cato's car was a few yards down. I looked over my shoulders on my way into the building. My nerves were acting up again, and my palms were sweaty and currently shaking.

I made my way around to the back of the school, to a set of doors that were held open by a small block of wood. Opening the doors slowly, I made my way into the dark halls, that were only illuminated every so often by dome lights.

I almost screamed when a hand landed on my shoulder and I turned around to see Cato. He was wearing a dark shirt and black pants, and had paint stains splattered all over his chest.

"You scared the hell out of me!" I exclaimed, as he gestured for me to join him in the other hall. When I rounded the corner, I came face-to-face with Marvel, Gloss, Clove, Glimmer and Cashmere. I knew then that something wasn't right.

"What is everyone doing here? Better yet, what am I doing here?" I asked, looking to each of their faces for an answer that never came.

"We're doing a little remodeling," Gloss said, which made Cashmere and Glimmer squeal beside him. I noticed that they too were wearing all black, which made me feel a little out-of-place.

"This place needs an uplift," Marvel added as a large grin pulled its way onto his lips.

I glanced back at Cato, who was giving me a nod of approval and the next thing I knew I was being coaxed into joining them. My mind raced as I tried to process everything: there never was going to be a talk between Cato and I. _This was a set-up!_ I noted. But I couldn't back out now, not after coming so far. Therefore, before I knew it I had picked up a can of spray paint and was joining them, as we all defaced the walls of the cafeteria.

* * *

**The Following Day**

I woke with a startle, and managed to turn my gaze toward my nightstand that held my alarm clock. It was currently half-pass six in the morning, but I knew I wasn't going to get anymore sleep, so I pulled myself up from my bed and headed for the shower.

The warm water felt amazing against my bare skin. It rushed down my back, down my lower back and tingled against my legs. I spent countless minutes sitting there, thinking back to the night before. I remembered the laughter erupting from Cato and the others as we vandalized the school, and the drive home. The guilt of what I had just done had hit me when I waved a goodbye to the others and stepped into my car. My hands gripped the steering wheel for a while before I drove off.

Thankfully when I got home, my mom didn't notice that I was gone. Actually, she had not even woken up when the garage door had closed. _She was a deep sleeper_, I recalled.

I had been standing in the shower for some time, before I placed my hands on the taps and turned them off. I was glad that my mother had reminded my dad to fix the hot water system.

I made my way to my room to change, and then downstairs to the kitchen in a small moments time. My mother had left earlier for work this morning, as my dad was still out of town, and she needed to open the bakery.

I grabbed a juicy-looking apple from the countertop, before grabbing the keys my mom had left out for me. The car was how I had left it, and with it brought back memories of the night before. _The smell of the paint was nauseating_, I recalled.

The drive to school this morning was a lot faster than last night's had been. I pulled into the school parking lot, and parked in the empty spot beside Gale's truck. He had just arrived with Katniss as I pulled my book bag from the back seat and met up with them.

"Morning!" I exclaimed, and both Gale and Katniss gave me a worried glance. Typically I wasn't a morning person, but waking up earlier today had set the day off to a good start.

"Good morning, Peeta," both Gale and Katniss managed to reply. The rest of the trip to the school was left in silence, having only muttered a few words here and there to one another. When we walked into the school we were immediately aware of a growing number of students filing into the cafeteria.

"I wonder what's going on in there?" Katniss said.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Why don't we just head for class early?" I said, but my voice was shaking with nerves, and Katniss shot me a questioning glance.

"What's your deal? I want to check it out," Katniss replied, before she strung both Gale and I along to see what the commotion was all about. I knew what we would when we passed through those doors, but I couldn't bring myself to believe that I was capable of doing it. I heard the shrieks from both Gale and Katniss, before I was pulled away from them by a tug on my backpack.

"What the—" I started, but a calm voice cut off my question.

"Looks great, doesn't it?" Cato said smiling, as he looked behind his shoulders before turning back to me. "You're not half-bad, Mellark…not half-bad," he started. "Anyways, come meet us for lunch today. I want to talk to you about something," Cato said, and with that he was gone. I watched as his muscular figure walked away. His legs were strong from the countless laps in the pool he must have to endure on a daily basis; his biceps were huge as they now flexed out from under his shirt while he carried his books; and his shoulders were tight, leading down into a sexy brawn figure.

I smiled before turning back around the corner, and then I was pushed back into privacy once again; this time by a figure who was not impressed with me by the strain on his face.

"What did you do, Peeta?" Gale exclaimed.

**A.N. Thank you to everyone who was reviewed, favourited, and followed this story! It's definitely a work in progress, haha! Enjoy :)**


	4. Transformations

**Chapter 4: Transformations**

"What did you do, Peeta?" Gale exclaimed.

I knew that he had plummeted over the edge, since Gale was never one for confrontations. I recalled one time when Gale had lost his mind at my house when word spread that Katniss had locked lips with another guy, named Chaff. He had come to me in order to process this newfound conflict, but never once did he blame Katniss. He never pointed the finger at someone, whether it was clear or not that they were responsible. Therefore, seeing him like this had taken me by surprise. I resisted the urge to ask him what business it was of his, but I was aware that he knew about my "after-school meeting" with Cato.

My voice faltered as I tried to calm him down, but Gale's stance was secured in front me. His body threatened to pin me into the wall, and he made no retreat as he shouted at me once again.

"Peeta! Are you crazy? You can't go on defacing property with that dumb brute! It was you, wasn't it? Gale exclaimed angrily. His expression didn't contain any more of the innocence that was usually evident in his eyes. Instead it penetrated into my own eyes with a raging fire that was steadily becoming more and more agitated the longer I tried to formulate a response.

"Yes," I confessed quickly, trying my best to shift my gaze elsewhere.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" Gale exclaimed, his face inches from my own. If it wasn't for his temper, I would have thought he was about to kiss me from how close he was, but I knew better. His tone enraged me, and before I could stop myself I was pushing him away from me.

"What do you want me to say, Gale? That I'm sorry? That I wished I hadn't met up with the others last night? That I made a mistake? Well, I'm not going to apologize to you, so why don't you back off," I shouted, before I had any time to hold back my sentiments. I was furious that Gale had the nerve to completely barricade me against a wall and shout at me as he did. So, with a final push, Gale was sent plummeting back to the ground, and I was on my feet down the hall. I could only hear Katniss' voice screaming at me once I reached the stairwell, as she hollered out questioningly what had happened between us. I knew in my heart that Gale wouldn't mention anything to her, and so I made my way to my locker and before long I stepped into English class with Mrs. Everdeen.

As I stepped through the door and began making my way to my seat, I made eye contact with Cato. I motioned for him to take Finnick's usual seat with a small flick of my wrist, to which I received a confused expression. He took a seat beside me anyway, as a multitude of students in the class peered behind their textbooks in our direction. It was unusual for Cato to sit beside anyone but Clove, so I imagined that they were taking notice as we speak.

"What's up, Mellark?" Cato asked. His tone of voice was both strong and curious, and tinged with a small bit of excitement that I could also see in his eyes. It was unusual seeing Cato like this, but I reasoned with myself that it was better to see him content than on the other side of his wrath.

"I just didn't want to deal with Finnick's overtly sexual acts today…" my voice trailed off as I watched a small grin take its place on the corners of Cato's mouth. His lips were moist and perfectly shaped, and I became focused on them as he watched me, surely taking notice of my distraction. I started to feel myself becoming more and more anxious as I watched him sweep his tongue along his upper lip. I gawked as he pulled his tongue back over his bottom lip and over his teeth, before pulling myself together again. "You don't mind, do you?" I asked simply.

I watched as he pulled himself forward to rest his elbows on the table, and he turned his head toward mine, as he now rested it against his fists. "Sure, it's not a problem. I just feel a little used," he said, before contorting his expression into a flirtatious pout. His eyes began to water and gleam like that of a small puppy, before his bottom lip protruded out from underneath to make a sad frown.

"I'd take you over Finnick any day," I said, before catching myself. "I mean…you seem like you're okay…not that I meant that I would prefer you in that sense…" but it was too late. He had already caught my statement, before I could babble on any longer. I felt as my cheeks began to blush, and I had to look away before things could get any worse.

What happened next completely took me off-guard. He had pulled himself up from leaning on the table, enough to place a single, warm hand on my shoulder. "I love sitting beside Clove and hearing her ramble on about her troubles for an hour and a half every day, don't get me wrong, but I kind of like the change of scenery. Besides," he began "it gives me a chance to talk to you alone about something," Cato confessed. I felt my palms beginning to sweat, and I could feel countless ripples making their way down my spine. _Why does he make me so nervous?_ I thought.

"About what?" I asked, turning to meet his gorgeous blue eyes locked onto mine. They held a sense of mystery behind them. They were an abnormal shade of blue, which made me question the idea of contacts, but I couldn't see anything of the sort.

"It's about Mr. Beetee's mathematics class," he began. I could feel my shoulders relax as the conversation turned on a dime. I imagined the innumerable amount of questions that he could have asked, and was thankful that I did not have to answer them. "I was wondering if you had a study partner?" This once again took me off-guard, as I was prepared to face a question about my speech the other day. _I like that he keeps me on my toes_, I noted happily.

"Actually, I don't. I have to say, I never would have thought that the big brawn, Cato, would ever stoop down to needing a study partner," I replied jokingly. He could tell that I had meant it sarcastically, but defended himself nonetheless.

"I don't 'need' a study partner. It was just a thought, that's all," Cato said. I could actually see the small blush that was beginning to form on his cheeks, but he turned away eagerly at the sound of Mrs. Everdeen's voice.

"Attention class. Today I'd like you to consider the vandalism that was done to the school's property last night. With this in mind, I'd like you all to write a one-page entry about what it means to be a respectable student here at Panem High," she called out. I turned to see a small grin on Cato's face, and was stunned to see that he didn't feel guilty in the least. _Maybe I'm just overanalyzing_, I thought.

Cato had leaned in to begin writing his paper, and I was well aware that each scribble he jotted down was going to be a lie, in every sense of the word. I leaned down toward his side, my lips almost against his ear. I knew that he would be able to feel the warmth from my breath as I spoke three simple words: "I'd love to."

He turned to me in a quick flash as I pulled back to avoid any sense of space that the large brute might have. He gave me a quick wink, which I knew was nothing more than a friendly expression of his satisfaction. "I'll pick you up at 7," he said.

"I work at the bakery tonight for a couple hours after school, but seven works for me. Do you mind giving me your address?" I asked.

"I'll swing by and pick you up after practice," Cato confirmed.

"Okay, the bakery is right near—" I began, but Cato's voice interrupted me.

"I know where it is, baker boy. I won't be late. Have a coffee ready for me? I'm sure you can find out from Clove or one of the others what I take in it," Cato said. I knew that his friendly aura would only last for so long before the cold, arrogant Cato began to express himself again. I managed a small grin at the thought of how irresistible he looked while he bent down to write his entry. His spiked up blonde hair was unmoving as he rocked the pencil back and forth across his page, eager to complete the designated assignment.

I'd thought I'd better start on mine. I realized soon after beginning that I would be eliciting as many lies as Cato with this one, and chuckled to myself at the reversal of fortune. He was done soon after I began and I could swear that his eyes had never left my face since.

* * *

The remainder of class went by exceptionally quick, as Mrs. Everdeen decided to explore some Shakespearean tragedies for the rest of the class. I had not mistaken Cato's gleam, for every time that I would turn to cast a secretive glance in his direction, his eyes would systematically explore the entirety of the room. He had been watching me, and there was no mistaking that.

I hardly remembered psychology, for the simple reason that I had not bothered to attend this morning. I could only stand listening to the crazed babbling of hers for so long, before I would begin to lose my mind.

The bell sounded that signified the end of second period, and the beginning of lunch. I had been waiting for this all day, since I knew that Cato had something to tell all of us at the lunch table. I made my way as fast as I could into the cafeteria and to the back of the room, so as to avoid any potential run-ins with Katniss and Gale. I knew that I would face their endless questions in the next two periods, but I'd rather not begin early.

Gloss was the first to take a seat beside me with his sister, Cashmere. I could feel my jaw hanging wide-open as she continued to explain to Gloss the difference between some unknown types of cover-up. Next to join us was Glimmer, who shot me an enthusiastic smile. Cato was the last to join us, alongside Clove, and I felt my nerves return as he sat directly beside me. He had pizza for lunch today, which was lined with pepperoni and bacon strips. I looked amazing and smelt even better. But I continuously caught the sharp musky scent of his cologne infusing itself with the simmering pizza, which made my mouth water.

He placed his half-eaten pizza down onto his plate, and guzzled a large amount of water, before turning to me. "Peeta, I want to formally invite you to a party this weekend at my house. You've probably heard it from other students around school, because it's the biggest party of the season. Beverages are on the house and I've already contacted the catering service. All you have to bring is a nice pair of swimming trunks," Cato said, eyes twinkling. My excitement had grown to peak levels before he mentioned swimming trunks…which meant that there would be swimming…which meant that I would have to be shirtless. It came with the promise of a glimpse at what Cato has been hiding under his tight-fit shirt all this time, but it also meant that Peeta would be in an uncomfortable position.

"I guess I could stop by," I stuttered. It hardly seemed reassuring as the others all turned to stare at me. "I mean, I can't wait!" I corrected. This was going to be an awful idea, but I guess it couldn't hurt. It was time that I stopped holding back.

I received smiles from all of them. Cato turned back to his lunch as if nothing had fazed him. I'd hope that tonight I'd have more luck with him than I had this afternoon. _Eventually, I'll find out what makes him tick, _I mumbled to myself.

I spent the remainder of lunch basically in silence as the others joked around with one another. It was almost cynical how neither Cato nor the others made a passing glance toward the police who filed into the room to inspect the defaced walls of the cafeteria. I nervously fidgeted in place, before I received a reassuring smile from Cato as all my worries fluttered out of my system. Until the bell went off, that is.

I made my way slowly to art class. I managed to take my time at my locker and walk at a slower pace until I had to give in and stand up for myself.

Cinna gave me a small smile as I entered the classroom, before heading over to take my seat. I noticed that Katniss was already at the back of the room, anxiously grabbing both our artwork and our personal set of shading pencils. She walked back at an unusually fast pace, before crashing down into the seat beside me, her arms rising into the air.

"What happened today? One second you and Gale were behind me and the next he was on the floor and you were practically running down the hall?" Katniss exclaimed. Her face had contorted into curiosity and anger. I went to answer her question in the best way I knew how, but she was not finished just yet. "Also, I seen you at lunch with Cashmere and the others. Do you mind telling me about that too, while you're at it."

I breathed a sigh of exasperation, before managing to find my voice. "Where would you like me to begin, Katniss?" I said, averting my gaze.

"I think the beginning would be the best," she said sarcastically. I could swear she rolled her eyes as she said it, but I succeeded in calming myself prior to confessing.

"Clove invited me to the school after closing last night, and I went because she told me that Cato was going to be there. Gale knew beforehand, and he recommended that I stay away from them, which I knew you would do if I approached you with the same question. Unfortunately I went against my better judgment and when I arrived at the school, I soon realized that it wasn't a meeting with Cato that I was rushing into. Instead, I found myself with a can of spray paint and a guilty conscience," I started, as Katniss' eyes gawked at me with panic as she realized that I was involved in the vandalism this morning. "Gale approached me this morning about it, and needless to say it didn't go over well, Katniss. I know what I'm getting myself into. I can take care of myself, you know," I added. Katniss' head was held low in shame, but I was surprised when she looked up at me with a huge grin.

"You're stubborn, you know that right?" Katniss said, as she continued to smile at me. "I have to admit that I had a feeling you were involved. Nobody compares to you when it comes to detailing. It'd be hard to mistake," Katniss continued. Her expression turned from pleasure to worry in a matter of seconds as she warned me to be careful. "I don't want to see you get hurt, Peeta."

"Do you remember that time when your mom caught us on our way back from a hunting trip with your dad, when we were younger?" I asked, which clearly took Katniss by surprise. Her dad had passed a way some few years shortly after, and talking about him was always a sensitive subject.

"Yes, why?" Katniss responded.

"Do you remember how I completely made up a story about how you and I had just gone over to pick a few flowers from Primrose after school, and that's why we were late. The point is: I can handle myself, no matter the situation I find myself in. I promise that I won't do anything stupid anymore," I suggested. Katniss' smile revealed that she had forgiven me for my actions. All was well in the world until Cinna passed by.

"Nice artwork, Mr. Mellark" he whispered, while he motioned behind my chair. His tone was laid-back and otherwise harmless, and I peered behind to see a small grin protruding from his lips.

* * *

When I arrived in Mr. Beetee's math class, I could tell that things were not well between Gale and I. He would hardly pass a glance in my direction, unless it was filled with deep concern as I conversed with Cato. He could hardly stand my attraction to him, and I could care less what he had to say about it. Most of the class itself was repetitive, as we learned more about parabola's and line curves. I had not had time to do any reading last night since I arrived home really late. It didn't help that I wasn't paying attention either. Cato consistently commented on things regarding Glimmer's outrageous outfit this afternoon all the way to Mr. Beetee's receding hairline.

When the school day had ended with the sound of the bell ringing across the speakers, I watched as Cato stormed off without saying a word. _He must be anxious for practice, _I thought. I shrugged my shoulders and made my way to my locker. I made sure to take my math textbooks home with me, and stuffed them into my book bag alongside with my "Macbeth" reader. I had to sprint to catch Clove at her locker downstairs to ask what Cato took in his coffee. She gave me an awestruck look and a curious glance before she shook her head with a small grin. I worked my way to my car at a steady pace alongside Katniss and a very silent Gale. Nodding to them as we both made our way into our car, I waved them a small goodbye. I pushed the key into the ignition and turned it to hear the sound of gears grinding and the engine roaring to life. I placed the car into reverse before passing a glance over my shoulder and easing my foot onto the pedal. The remainder of the car ride home was spent listening to the "top 10 greatest singles of all time," and before long I made my way into the bakery parking lot.

I had a short shift tonight, since my father had made his way back into town and would be closing up for me. Most of the night was quiet. I managed to serve a couple customers and decorate a few cakes, before my dad smiled at me and waved his hand approvingly. I recall him saying, "Go on, and get out of here. I know you have a study date," to which I completely reddened. I had told him about Cato throughout the night, mentioning that he was blonde, tall, and blue-eyed. Before long my dad had put the pieces of the puzzle together, and gave me the Mellark-style grin and wink.

I heard the bell sound that meant a new customer had entered the bakery, but I was surprised to look up and find Cato standing before me. He was wearing a Panem High sweater rolled up to his elbows, and blue tapered jeans. My dad looked up from decorating the remainder of the cakes to catch a glimpse of the boy, before giving me a secretive thumbs-up.

"Dad, this is Cato. Cato this is my dad," I said nervously. Both Cato and my father gave each other a smile and a handshake, before Cato was back at my side.

"Introducing me to your father already, Mellark?" Cato said sarcastically. He gave me another wink, but this time it was more flirtatious than anything. _Was he flirting or making a joke,_ I asked myself.

"Here's your coffee. One cream and two sugar, just how you like it," I said effortlessly. He managed a laugh before reaching over to take the cup. I felt as his fingers brushed against mine, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose. He tilted his head toward the door, before I nodded. When he opened the door in front of me and held it open as I made my way outside into the cool night, I could feel his eyes grazing into the back of my head. That's when I noticed his black convertible.

He drove fairly quickly as we made our way out-of-town toward the richer community. I stole a few glances in his direction as the wind plummeted his golden hair into his face. We made eye contact several times, but neither of us spoke. When we finally managed to make our way to his house, I was in awe. It must have been four times the size of mine, at least. It had spiraling columns, which led to a large set of doors. The house itself was a dark grey, and it contained two sets of garage doors, and a large parking space. I knew that Cato's eyes were watching me, as I managed to pull my book bag from the back seat and opened the door.

He smiled when I met his gaze, before he stepped up to the front door and opened it for me. "My room is upstairs, just passed the bathroom, to the right. Make yourself comfortable. I need to see my parents about something," Cato said aloud. He placed his sweater on a coat rack, alongside a white fur coat and a black pea coat. I nodded and watched as he made his way down the white hallway. His backside was truly enchanting, as I watched his thin t-shirt cling to his shoulder blades. His pants were also an enjoyable sight, not too tight but not overly flared either. Instead of prying any longer, I turned to face a spiraling staircase that led upstairs.

The house was as enormous inside as it looked from the exterior. There were several rooms, and I was surprised to see that a household maid was washing the floors on the other side of the room. I picked up my pace so that I could avoid any more sights that threatened to captivate me. Unfortunately when I made it to his room, I was equally as overwhelmed.

His room had wooden flooring that was largely covered by a dark blue carpet. He had a king-size bed that had a matching duvet, the same color as the carpet itself. He had several portraits of signed autographs from famous football stars, swimming legends, and Olympic gold-medalists. He had a crystal chandelier above his bed, which was utterly massive. It sparkled and tossed its light onto the drapes, which were navy and brown.

I walked slowly toward the bed, and pressed my fingers into the duvet to feel the warmth of the cotton. I was making my way over to the other side of the room, when Cato's voice startled me.

"I see you've had a chance to explore?" Cato inquired. I smiled at him nervously, before motioning for my book bag. "Let me grab my textbook too," he said. I could feel his nervousness as he darted to the other side of the room, and made note of how cute he was.

"I was thinking we could begin with the next section on transformations?" I suggested.

"Sure, whatever works for you," Cato said simply.

Cato gestured for me to join him on the bed, which both thrilled me and made me nauseated. It was difficult for me to look at him, let alone be alone in his room with him on his bed. We read the chapter in silence, and I could feel his steel blue eyes on me as I turned each page. It was hard to concentrate knowing that he was looking right at me, but I didn't want to get distracted.

"I don't understand this section," Cato pointed out. It was noticeable in his tone that he was either bluffing or trying to make conversation to ease the awkwardness.

"Here, let me explain," I said, as I made my way over to him. "It's pretty simple really. All you have to do is…" I began, reading out the instructions to him. His eyes never left mine, even when I motioned for the paper.

"Does that make more sense?" I asked, biting my bottom lip.

"I guess so. Do you mind if we take a break?" Cato asked, which didn't exactly surprise me. "Can I get you anything to drink? Sparkling water? A soda?" he added, gesturing to the fridge across the room. _He had everything didn't he_, I noted.

"Sparkling water sounds amazing," I replied. He made his way to the fridge and back again in a flash, even opening to cap for me. "Thank you," was all I could manage.

"Not a problem. I actually wanted to ask you something personal," Cato said faintly as I gulped. "Nothing like that," he added before he started to laugh. "The other night at the school, you came thinking that I had something to say to you, didn't you?"

"I mean, Clove said that you wanted to talk to me. But I had a good time nonetheless," I managed to say, half-convincingly.

"Yeah," Cato mumbled. "I just don't understand her sometimes. She comes up with these crazy ideas to test people," he added, shaking his head and chuckling.

"To test people?" I questioned him, unsure what he had meant by that.

"She thought that you were like all the others at the school, but she was wrong, I guess. She had to finally admit that you were different," Cato replied. I still didn't understand what he was mumbling on about.

"Well, I hope different isn't a bad thing?" I asked, biting my lip once again. _I really need to stop doing that_, I noted.

"Different is good. I like different," he replied earnestly. His comment brought a smile to my face, and I began to blush. "So tell me, your parents didn't have a problem with you staying the night then?" he asked quickly, turning his body over the bed to grab a fallen textbook.

"Excuse me?" I questioned. _What is he talking about?_

"Tonight. Your parents are cool with you sleeping over at my place? I already talked to my parents when we got here, and they said you could stay the night," he said, smiling back at me. My mind was racing as I tried to process what he was saying.

"I don't think they'd have a problem…" I trailed off, before he cut me off.

"Perfect! My bed is unbelievably comfortable. You'll love it. Don't worry, I don't hog the covers too much" he interjected.

I nearly blacked out.

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! I hope I didn't make too many spelling mistakes since I tried to get this out to you guys as quick as I could. I hope you all enjoy! :)**


	5. Insurgent

**Chapter 5: Insurgent**

"I think that's good for the night, what do you think?" Cato asked. I could see his excitement as he slowly began closing his textbook. He hadn't studied much all night. In fact, neither of us had. Cato was truly a horrible study partner. Besides the fact that he was drop-dead gorgeous, and smelled like a mixture of sweat and crisp ocean air, of course. But all of his charm was nothing but a distraction to me, and I fought myself from stealing glances most of the night – to which I inexcusably botched. His warm scent was making its way over to me now, as he leaned over to place his textbook on the floor. "I'll take that as a yes?" he implied as he began to chuckle. He surprised me when he pulled himself off the bed and began making his way across the room. "I'm just going to throw on another shirt and something comfortable," he spoke as he trailed over.

I nodded at him and started to place my books on the floor on the other side of the bed from where his own textbooks lie. I had just let the textbooks string through my fingers toward the ground, before I pulled myself up to see that he had not closed the door while he changed. I quickly managed to avert my eyes, but I gave in to the temptation, and sneaked a peek at his raw form.

He was currently removing his shirt from his body, and I could see the fabric ripple against his skin. His arms were reflexively up in the air as it passed over his face. His muscles in his arms and abdomen were completely bulging as he did so, and I could feel myself instinctively salivating. I tried to turn away, but the view was too much, and I couldn't resist watching as he pulled a tight-fitted, black muscle shirt over his head and stream-lined it down his chest snuggly. He had already changed into blue and white, checkered pajamas as he closed the door and the sound of water rushing signaled that he was brushing his teeth.

The rushing water came to a halt as I heard the grinding of the taps. It only seemed like seconds as the door opened and he travelled over to the bed.

"Are you going to sleep like that?" he asked me, a confused look on his face. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I just think that it'd be a little uncomfortable," he smirked.

"I didn't really bring anything. I just hadn't really planned well for this, I guess," I said, trying to sound as honest as possible without revealing that our "sleepover" had come as a surprise to me.

He shook his head as he made his way over to his dresser, and pulled a pair of pajama bottoms from the top drawer. He threw them toward me on the bed, as he called out, "I think these will fit you just fine." I smiled at him, before inspecting the clothing piece before me. The majority of the pajamas were green, but they were lined with splotches of white and grey. I took hold of them nervously and entered the bathroom to change.

I had to calm myself down because I threatened to ruin this moment by completely butchering our "friendship" by revealing that I had a strong attraction to him. So, as I pulled on the pair of pajamas and felt the warm cotto_n against my skin, I took a couple minutes to mentally prepare myself in the mirror. You can do this, just act normal,_ I mumbled to myself. I gave myself a reassuring nod, shook my head, and opened the door handle.

Cato had already made his way into the bed, and was currently sitting up reading a hockey magazine. I quickly sprinted for the bed and nuzzled myself under the covers. I watched as he peered over his magazine anxiously at me, but my nervousness got the better of me. "So…what's it like trying to balance football and swim practice?" I asked simply, looking at the ceiling. I could hear the rummaging of the magazine as he changed the page.

"It's alright, sometimes it gets a little hectic. I assume you don't play football, but do you like to swim?" he answered, adding a small question of his own. He had completely abandoned his magazine, which now rested on his nightstand beside him, underneath a single lamp that illuminated the room.

"What's to say I don't play football?" I asked, before we keeled over in laughter. "I love to swim. I haven't in a long time though; I just never get the chance anymore. I miss it," I responded. My mind raced back to when Katniss, Gale, and I would go down to the beach every day after school to refresh ourselves. The water was always cool, but not overly cold under the blistering heat of the sun.

Cato emitted a small sigh, and then turned the lamp off beside him, enclosing us in darkness. The only light that filled the room now was the moonlight, which currently cast itself onto his blue carpet.

I listened as Cato mumbled a small, "Goodnight, Peeta." I suffered under the pressure of facing him, and before long had turned to face the other side of the room. He was now directly behind me, but distant enough to respect each other's boundaries. With a relaxing sigh, I closed my eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

Morning came sooner than I had expected, which left me feeling both sad and excited. I currently felt melancholic due to having to leave the bed, which I now shared with Cato, and excited at the idea of spending my morning alongside him.

A huge yawn alerted me that he was now awake, so I began turning around to face him, until I noticed his arm around me. I was surely out-of-it considering how strong his arm is, which I could hardly feel pressed against the warm covers that lay over me.

"Good morning, Mellark. Sleep well?" Cato asked, slowly moving his arm from my side as if it made no difference. I was free to turn around, and as I did so I caught an alarming surprise.

"Your hair is completely destroyed!" I laughed jokingly. "I slept wonderful, how about you?" I added, my grin ever clear in my expression.

"Passive aggressive this morning, I see" Cato chuckled. "Never better," he continued. "I'm glad you didn't hog the covers," he chimed.

"It's kind of hard when you don't have any in the first place," I scoffed, and before long we had both erupted into laughter.

"I'm going to take a shower. Unless you'd rather go first?" Cato said, breaking our moment of hilarity. _Or together_, I hoped he would say next, but it never came.

"Help yourself," I said reassuringly. I had hardly noticed that he had taken his muscle shirt off during the night, and when he climbed out of the bed and made his way over to the bathroom, my eyes wandered over every inch of his skin. My inspection was cut short when the bathroom door closed, and I threw my head back into my pillow. _I'm in Cato's bed…who would have thought? _ I mumbled to myself.

His shower didn't take too long, and before I knew it he had changed and brushed his teeth, before opening the door.

"I have to say you clean up nicely," I mocked, to which I received a small grin.

"You're next, Mellark. Feel free to borrow one of my shirts for the day. Don't want people thinking you're too poor to afford a second shirt now do we?" Cato added. I guessed that I would be wearing his entire wardrobe soon, if our sleepovers kept up…which I truly hoped they would.

* * *

The rest of the morning passed by in a flash, as Cato and I scurried to make scrambled eggs and toast before driving in Cato's convertible to school. From the moment we first arrived in the parking lot, I could tell that we had not gone unnoticed. I watched as several kids began to whisper back and forth among themselves and several students snickered while they made their way to the entrance. Cato and I parted ways for a couple minutes when we reached the school. I glanced behind me as I made my way to the stairs to see that he had joined up with a few football players and was headed down the hall to his locker. I smiled secretively, and rounded the corner to my locker. To my surprise, Katniss and Gale were already there waiting for me.

"Good morning! How's it going?" I asked. Their expressions were unmoving as Katniss began to speak.

"I see that Cato drove you in to school this morning…among other things," she added, her eyes peering down toward my Raven's football sweater. It was impossible deny, due to the number two on the side of the arm.

"Care to explain, Peeta?" Gale said, averting his eyes from mine. _He must still be upset_, I noted.

"I went over to his place to study, and ended up staying the night. I didn't bring any extra clothes, so he lent me one of his sweaters. That's all," I replied simply.

"You stayed the night?" Gale exclaimed, and Katniss gave me a worried glance.

"Yes, can we just drop it? I have to get to English. I'm sure Cato's waiting for me," I said sternly, and began entering the combination on my lock. I could feel the angered glances coming from both Katniss and Gale on either side of me. I eagerly grabbed my books, gave Katniss a small hug, and told them I would catch up with them over the weekend. I missed spending time with them, but it was hard to resist Cato's charm. But without passing a glance behind, I quickly traveled to Mrs. Everdeen's English class.

* * *

When I stepped into class, I noticed that Cato was not already here as I had been expecting. I motioned for the back of the class, before Mrs. Everdeen stepped into my path, blocking me.

"Peeta. I wanted to talk to you about your last journal entry. I noticed that you had put hardly any work into it. May I ask if something is bothering you? If I may say as a mother: Katniss has told me that you two have been getting into conflicts lately. Is there anything I should know about, off the records?" she asked. Her voice was deep with concern, as I shook my head and bit my lip.

"Everything's wonderful. I had a lot on my mind that day. If you'd like me to rewrite it, I would not mind," I replied.

"That won't be necessary. I just ask that you work exceptionally well on today's journal entry," she responded, as she removed herself from the pathway. With a smile, she turned and walked back toward her desk and took a seat.

I reached my desk and began unpacking my things, when I could feel that someone had taken a seat beside me.

"Did you get held up—" I said, as I slowly pulled myself up with my journal in-hand to meet Finnick's gaze. "Finnick?" I questioned, before looking around the room to see if Cato had taken another seat today.

"How was your night? Anyways, that doesn't matter. Tell me, are you prepared for the party this weekend at Cato's mansion?" Finnick exclaimed excitedly.

"I guess so," I managed, unsure. My next statement was cut off as Cato appeared behind Finnick and told him to find another seat. Finnick's expression was filled with alarm and anger, but he turned to me and nodded sadly, before taking the seat behind Clove. As I watched Finnick sit down, I noticed that Clove was looking in our direction with skeptical eyes. My enchantment was broken, when Cato raised his voice to say something to me.

"The guy doesn't learn, does he?" he laughed and shook his head simultaneously.

"Yeah," was all I could manage in the moment. I thought it was a little unfair of Cato to tell Finnick where he could and could not sit, but I had to admit that I thought his dominance was quite flattering. I was also thankful that I did not have to put up with Finnick's advances for yet another day. I smiled at Cato who returned a grin of his own, before we both put our pencils to our papers and began writing.

* * *

Both classes finished early this morning as Cashmere and I met the others in the cafeteria. We were walking at a steady pace, and we managed to make it to the table just as Glimmer and Gloss took their seats alongside Clove. I watched as they all devoured their food quickly, picking pieces of food from one another's plates as if it were a potluck.

I had a chicken salad this afternoon, lined with bacon stripes, freshly cut cheese, croutons, and scattered vegetables. My mother had a garden at the back of the house, where the sunlight remained for most of the day, so I was easily able to make fresh salads by picking the innumerable amount of vegetables lying around.

I guzzled a large amount of water. I was excessively thirsty, most likely from the nerves this morning, as classmates took in the sight of Cato and I together once again. It was unusual to see that people gawking at him due to my presence didn't bother him in the least. I was a bundle of nerves all day, aware of each passing glance or whisper in our direction.

I hadn't any time to wonder where Cato was, because a large fight broke out moments after I watched him enter the room. I could see that he had pinned another small student to the ground and was eagerly throwing his fists into him as I watched with horror. Cashmere and Clove were the first to leave their seats and run over to Cato, before Gloss, Glimmer, and myself had the time to process the events. I was the next on my feet as I barreled over to the other side of the room.

Everything happened so quickly before I could react. I glanced to the ground to see where Cato was throwing fists left and right at Finnick. Before I could say or do anything Katniss and Gale had run in to stop things. They instinctively tried to drag Finnick from Cato, as I ran over and attempted to do the same with Cato.

"Get off of me!" Cato shouted, and began trying to make his way over to Finnick again. The sound of a whistle blew out against my ear, which sounded like a gunshot. I turned my head swiftly to see that vice principle Coin had come to resolve the fight.

"You two," she exclaimed, pointing her index fingers at Finnick and Cato. "My office. Now." With that she stormed off, shouting at the other students to begin making their way to their classes.

"Cato, are you alright?" I shouted, taking hold of his arm and pulling him from the ground.

"Cato? Are you kidding me, Peeta? You're actually going to take his side in this?" Katniss jeered. She currently looked at me with a strange glance. "Who are you anymore? The old Peeta would never have stood up for a bully," she said, tears in her eyes as she shook her head back and forth. I couldn't bring myself to respond to her, especially when Cato was staring in bewilderment at both Katniss and I. Instead, I just nodded and turned back to Cato with a smile.

I knew that this would not go over well with Gale either, who usually took Katniss' side in these sort of ordeals. I was unfortunately correct, when both Art and Mathematics was spent in silence, neither Katniss nor Gale returning any glances in my direction. At least I had Cato, who spent most of math class trying to get my attention. I didn't know whether or not I should give in, but my temptation always got the better of me.

"Peeta," Cato called over again, to which I finally turned to gaze into his iridescent blue eyes. "I was wondering if you wanted to come watch my football practice tonight?" he asked. The way he would nervously await an answer would always drive me crazy. He tensed right up; his eyes would look from you to the ground and back again, before he would manage a hopeful expression on his face.

"I wish I could, but I need to work at the bakery tonight for my parents. It's their anniversary, so they're taking the night off. Maybe next time?" I replied sadly. His expression drooped from excitement to sadness, and I thought I could see a bit of regret in his eyes. "I'll be at your party tomorrow night though…" I tried to add in order to ease his let down. A small smile came to his face, before turning around in his chair and facing the front of the class.

When the bell rang at the end of class, I gave him a sweet smile and started for the door before his wrist caught mine. "Where do you think you're going?" he said, with a grin on his mouth, and a gleam in his eyes.

"Well, considering Gale won't be giving me a ride home, I assumed I would take the bus for once," I replied, but the smug look on his face illustrated that he had other plans.

"I thought I could give you a ride home tonight?" Cato said, biting his bottom lip. It was refreshing to know that Cato wasn't all that bad. I mean, he did have his fair share of altercations, considering lunch with Finnick today, and a really strong temper, but he had a good heart – and usually meant well.

"I thought you had football practice right away?" I asked in response. I watched him consider my question, as he looked to the floor questioningly. Before long he returned his attention back to me with another beam. "They can wait," he said. I felt butterflies in my stomach as I began to realize that he cared more about my journey home than he did about football practice and the other boys. It made me smile a little excessively, because Cato instinctively threw his arm over my shoulders and motioned for us to get going.

Cato and I passed by Katniss, Gale, and Finnick as we made our way through the parking lot. They looked at me with appalled, considering that Cato had yet to remove his arm from my shoulder. Instead of looking pleased, I turned my head to smile at him so as to avert my eyes from my other friends. When we reached the convertible, Cato opened the door for me, which made my inner-self squeal in delight. It was one of the nicest gestures he had made over the past week or so, and it did not go without appreciation as I spun around to give him a smile before taking a seat. When he sat down in the driver's seat, he took his sunglasses from the dashboard and placed them on my face, as if this whole turn of events wasn't enough for me already.

"There you go," he said smugly while giving me a thumbs-up and a passing smile as he pulled the car out of the parking space.

The ride to the bakery was a lot more relaxed then the ride to school this morning. I think we both loosened up to the music as we made short conversation. Unfortunately the course of the ride finished as quickly as it began, and I gave him a somber wave goodbye. I remember that he told me that he couldn't wait to see me tomorrow at his place, before he waved goodbye and was gone in a flash. I have to admit that he drives pretty quickly. It terrifies me to think of him on the road with his demeanor, to be honest.

When I walked into the bakery, I could see that my parents were just about to head out for a romantic dinner. They were just coming around the counter, when I took them in for a large hug. "Congratulations. I hope you two have an amazing night!" I exclaimed. They both thanked me, before starting for the door.

"Oh, Peeta. Make sure you get the cake order ready for Mrs. Cumberbatch. Thanks son," my father said as he and my mother made their way out the door.

I made sure to grab an apron and my nametag, before heading back to the front counter. I noticed that we were short on peanut butter cookies and carrot cake and immediately began working on a new batch. I was interrupted here and there by the usual customers, and I stopped for a short break in order to make myself something to eat for supper. While the cake and cookies were in the oven, I pulled out my English paper and began working steadily. I hadn't worked too long before the alarm went off for the baked goods. When I went back to take them out of the oven, I heard another bell ring at the front of the store. "I'll be right there!" I exclaimed. I grabbed an oven mitt and grabbed the two trays. I set them beside each other on top of the oven to cool, before I would bring them out to the display. I rushed to place the oven mitts on the counter and to wash my hands, before making my way to the front.

"Cato?" I said, curiously. "What are you doing here?" I asked, head tilting out of interest.

"I'm here to steal you for the night," he said simply with a grin. I managed to smile back and then I attempted to reiterate what I had mentioned to him in math class this afternoon.

"I told you that I have to run the bakery tonight while my parents are gone," I replied, shaking my head in hilarity. _Does he not listen when I talk?_ I asked myself.

"Just come with me. Close early," he suggested.

"I can't. My parents would be furious!" I exclaimed.

"Just this once…for me?" Cato pouted, attempting to hide his grin.

I tried to mull over my two options in my head, and I knew that I couldn't bring myself to abide by what Cato was suggesting. I really wanted to, though. A little too much…

"Cato…I don't know…I don't think—" I started, before I received his usual grim face. He nodded slowly, and I couldn't contain myself anymore, so I gave in.

"I don't think my parents will like it…but why should they have to know," I replied with a flirtatious wink.

"Perfect! You won't regret this decision, I promise you," Cato exclaimed in excitement. "Meet me outside in five," he stated, before running out the door.

I quickly gathered all the cakes and placed them in the freezer, placed my apron and nametag in a cubby, and locked up the cash register. I rounded the counter and when I reached the door, I made sure to turn off all the lights and flip the "open" sign to "closed." I quickly made my way to the car, where Cato was waiting patiently, and cute as ever. He was wearing a dark grey funnel-neck t-shirt and deep blue jeans. I also noticed that he was currently wearing a black watch, obviously laced with diamonds. His arm was around the passenger seat, when I opened the door and sat down.

"So…where are you taking me?" I asked, turning to look at him. I couldn't get over how dashing he looked, especially under the moonlight. It pierced his pupils, which gleamed now that they rested themselves onto my own.

"It's a surprise. Buckle up, I want to get there as fast as possible," Cato replied. This made me exceptionally nervous because I was already attuned to his driving etiquette, and any faster we'd be going at the speed of light. Unfortunately, that's just how fast we seemed to be going as he merged onto the freeway. We only travelled to the first exit, and turned onto Panem City's main street. _There's only one place he could be taking me now_…I mumbled to myself.

When we pulled into the parking lot, I began to ask him why he had taken me here, but he reached over to the passenger's side and reached under the seat to reveal a blindfold. "Here, put this on quickly," Cato said excitedly. I was a little nervous, but I trusted Cato enough to fasten the blindfold around the back of my head and reach for the car door. "Allow me," Cato suggested, as he took hold of my hand.

His hand was warm and strong, as he pulled the car door open and began escorting me toward the building. I couldn't see anything through the thick fabric, so I relied entirely on Cato's support. I could hear the click of locked doors opening and our footsteps throughout the hall. It seemed like an excessively long journey, before Cato asked me if I was ready.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied, simply but reassuringly. I had a small time frame to instinctively take a whiff of something that smelled like chlorine before my eyes opened to a large swimming pool a couple of feet from where I was standing.

"Do you have your phone in your pocket?" Cato asked me, which took me by surprise.

"I left it in the car, why do you ask?" I replied, motioning my body to turn around before I was violently sent forward, crashing into the pool. The warmth of the water shocked me first, before I became aware of another splash in the water. I swam to the surface, pushing my hair back from my face, to find that Cato had completely vanished. I put my head under the water in time to see that he was already on his way to the surface before both of our heads bobbed on top of the water.

"What are we doing here?" I shouted, as I took in his shirtless form. _He prepared for this_…I noted to myself.

"You told me that you missed swimming. I wanted to give you the opportunity again," Cato said, smiling at me. I felt the butterflies in my stomach again, this time stronger than the last. It was hard to resist his breath-taking body before me, which was lapped against by the water ever so slightly.

"This means a lot to me, Cato. Thank you," I managed, small tears forming in my eyes. He had gone out of his way to do this, and he even took note of the smallest things as I spoke to him last night. He was almost too perfect.

"Race you to the other side?" Cato said, and before long he had already started free styling toward the other side of the pool. I watched in his wake, taking in his perfectly exercised strokes. _Oh Cato…what am I going to do with you?_ I mumbled to myself with a grin. Then I pushed off the side of the pool with an immense force, and began making my way toward the blonde beau.

**Author's Note: I would have posted this yesterday, but I wanted to include another section. I was also unable to post it considering the site was giving me problems! Anyways, I hope you are all still enjoying it! The next chapter is a crucial point to the story, so be on the lookout for the next installment in the next few days :)**


	6. Intemperance

**Chapter 6: Intemperance**

There is a moment when you first wake up, when you have a clean slate. A moment in time where all your memories cease to exist. In an instant of time, you are at peace. There are no worries, no frustrations, and no emotions whatsoever, only the feeling of bliss. As I wake up, I experience this small fraction of time. It is like a blank page, the author seemingly unable to conjure a single word to evoke a story. I am free of all feelings, whether good or bad, and I breathe in the fresh scent of a receding winter, which brings with it the hope of new awakening. In this small, but crucial, point in time, I am happy. I am in ecstasy.

But it only lasts a second or two, before everything comes rushing back. All the emotions, insecurities, pains, and hardships of the world flood into your mind like a whirlpool of reality. The smell of spring awakening has turned dark, unrecognizable. It has become unfamiliar. I remember that I am not happy in this moment. I realize that I too, have become unfamiliar.

The few items on my night table begin to shake, as a loud smash sounds with the slamming of a door. I can hear shouting downstairs before my door crashes open. My father now stands before me, with an expression of both confusion and anger. His eyebrows are furrowed in annoyance, and he takes a while to form a sentence as he paces back and forth in my room.

"Is there something wrong, Dad?" I ask, confused. He normally tended to stay away from my room, and only approached when he had something exceptionally important to ask me. We were not very close, and our relationship had slowly dwindled over the years. I knew very well that my father did not understand the reasons behind why I had so suddenly changed over the last year and a half. When I first brought a boy home to introduce to my parents, I remember seeing the pain in his eyes as he shook his hand. He did not care so much as to why I am the way I am, but every now again I can see a reflection of puzzlement make its way onto his face. I knew that this moment was no different.

"Damn right there is something wrong, son!" My father exclaimed suddenly, before instinctively raising his hand to cover his mouth. "Peeta, I don't understand what's going on with you," he said, as he grimly sat down on the edge of my bed with his head hung low in sadness. "I ask you to do one thing, one thing, and you don't do it. Be honest with me, you hear me?" he added, his tone increasing from concern to anger once more. "Did you even bother to start working on Mrs. Cumberbatch's cake last night?" he said, perplexed.

The realization of the events hit me like a wild fire, slowly simmering its way across my mind. I could feel the burning of shame searing from my head to my heart, which now burned with an intense flame. _How could I have forgotten?_ I asked myself. My eyes were all over the room at once, trying to peace together the events of the night before.

"I…well, Dad…I may have just…" I tried, but I could no longer form sentences. I could hardly remember words for that matter. My mind was racing so fast, that I could not choose the best answer to his question. In fact, there was no correct answer. I had failed my father, and the bakery, out of my own self-interests with Cato. "I'm so sorry, I promise you it won't happen again!" I exclaimed last minute, the jumble of words swiftly protruding from my lips.

"I expected so much more from you, son. Do you know who stopped into the bakery this morning? Mrs. Mason. She wanted to ask why the bakery was closed early last night, since she was expecting guests and wanted to serve some freshly-baked pastries," my dad began, not taking his eyes from me. "I had to tell her that there was a family emergency. Let me make this clear, Peeta, that this will be the only time I make an excuse for your behavior."

"I don't know what happened!" I started, but I could already see the regret in my father's eyes as he processed another lie. He shook his head before pulling himself from the bed slowly. He walked slowly, turning back only once to look at me with an expression full of disappointment.

"I talked this over with you mother, you know," my father explained. "You should thank her. She managed to convince me to shorten your punishment. With that said, you're grounded for the weekend. No leaving the house, no texting, and no friends. You hear me?" my father added. I could only nod, before he turned and slammed the door. The shelf beside the door rocked back and forth with the reverberation, sending a small glass ornament smashing to the ground.

It didn't hit me until a couple minutes later that Cato's party is tonight. I let out a large grunt, before crashing my head back down into the pillow. That's when I started reminiscing on last night's events…

_"You only won because you got a head start," I said to Cato, with a huge smirk on my face. He was bobbing up and down in the water on the side of the pool, gazing at me intently._

_ "Is that right?" he replied laughing. "Your free-style isn't half-bad, Peeta" he added, his laughter turning into a more serious expression. He inspected my face rapidly, with enough detail that he noticed a flash of happiness in my expression. "What? I do compliment sometimes, you know," he said, splashing a fair amount of water in my direction._

_ "To what do I owe the honor?" I chuckled, before sending a splash back in his direction._

_ "That's it!" Cato exclaimed. He took me by surprise as he propelled himself off the edge and dove into me. His hands wrapped around me, dragging me under the waters surface. When we both made our way up for air, we immediately began laughing. _

_ It wasn't long before we made our way to the change room, where Cato had already prepared a replacement set of clothes for me. He rounded the corner to change, in order to give one another privacy. It was thrilling in a way, as I turned to remove my bathing suit. It felt nice to replace my soaked swimming trunks with warm clothes from Cato's wardrobe. He asked if I was done changing, before he rounded the corner and swung his arm over my shoulders. _

_ "Ready for round two?" he asked, which took me off-guard._

_ I turned my head up to his, inspecting his lips that were only a few inches from my own. His face was cleanly shaven, and his jaw-line protruded from his cheeks. "Round two? Are you serious?" I asked. I watched as his blue eyes made their way down to meet mine, while we still continue walking through the set of doors. _

_ "Did you really think that this is all I had planned for tonight?" Cato responded, his expression gleaming with self-pleasure._

_ "You continuously surprise me, Mr. Ladies Man" I chimed back at him._

_ "What can I say?" Cato smirked sarcastically. "But a man has got to eat at some point. How about we go for some late-night pizza?" Cato added._

_ "That sounds delicious," I replied. This boy, who truly made me feel like I was in paradise, amazed me with every action. He made me feel special; he made me wanted. Even though Cato didn't seem like the type, he made me feel extraordinary in my own way._

_ The drive there was quite entertaining, as I watched Cato dance to the music while we made our way back onto the freeway. Instead of going back into town, he began driving in the other direction._

_ "Where are we going?" I asked, both excited and nervous. _

_ "I thought you liked surprises?" Cato responded, and tossed me a wink._

_ When we finally made our way off the highway, I noticed that Cato had taken us out to where the lake touched onto the sandy shore. It was a common place for cottages and summer events, such as kayaking and waterboarding. It came as no surprise, when Cato pulled into a parking lot just outside of a large brown cottage._

_ I didn't speak as I tried to capture this moment perfectly. It was like something I would sit down and paint when I was in my room alone. The way the moonlight reflected off of the waters surface and illuminated the walls of the cottage. There were solar lights that lit up the edges of the balcony as we made our way up the stairs and through the set of glass doors. _

_ I was surprised yet again when Cato pulled out a four-cheese pizza with bacon strips and pepperoni slices from the freezer. He turned the oven on, before making his way over to where I lay by the fireplace._

_ "Is this where you usually take your dates, to impress them?" I asked, looking into his eyes for an answer. I could see the reflection of the fire in his pupils, which warmed the rest of his expression as he began speaking._

_ "This is where I come alone when I have a lot on my mind. It helps me to get rid of all the thoughts in my head, which can get pretty stuffed considering football and swimming," Cato started. He motioned to sit beside me on the brick near the fire. I moved over slightly to allow room for his built figure, before he took a seat and continued. His voice was rather calm, and I realized that I had never seen Cato like this apart from our study night. He was vulnerable when he was with me, and he allowed himself to open up when I was around. "You're actually the first person that I've brought here. Now don't go running your mouth to the others, who have been dying to get a glimpse of this place since I first bought it," Cato added._

_ "You bought this?" I asked slowly, stuttering between each syllable. _

_ "I saved enough money over a couple of years, and my parents doubled what I put into it, so it wasn't that big of an expense really," Cato responded. "Can I tell you something?" he added, turning to face me._

_ "Anything," I replied._

_ "When my parents were battling over a court case which threatened to cause them to divorce, I used to come here… every single night. I would sit here by the fire, or sit out on the balcony over the lake and be able to process everything. I would listen to the owls in the trees and the rippling of the water, and I could swear for that moment in time I was at peace. It didn't matter what was going on at home, or in school, because when I was here I could just let everything go." Cato took a moment to compose himself before continuing. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I wanted to give you this," Cato added, as he placed his clenched hand into mine. I could feel a cold, metal object fall into my palm, as he traced his fingers back from my hand._

_ "A key?" I asked, confused and surprised by the gesture. Take me on a date first, I thought to myself…_

_ "I know that you've been having problems with your friends lately, and I want you to be able to come somewhere to clear your head if you need to," Cato replied sympathetically. It was a sweet gesture, and I knew that is was time to confess my feelings._

_ "Cato, I need to tell you something," I started, but his hand raised to silent me._

_ "I already know, Peeta," he says. He gives me a small reassuring smile, before he states: "It doesn't make a difference to me whether or not you like girls or boys. You're a good friend, Peeta. This doesn't change anything."_

_ I went to stop him, to admit to him that I had been pining over him for this entire time when the timer went off for the pizza. "I'm starving! Let's go eat at the table," Cato exclaimed. He gave me a helping hand before running off to grab a pair of oven mitts._

_ The rest of the night was spent was spent eating the pizza and talking about Cashmere and the rest of the group. He made a couple references to Katniss and Gale, but I didn't bother to ask what he meant by them. He also explained that the fight with Finnick was not an impulse reaction. He said that their families had been at each other's throats for a long time, and his bottled anger just erupted the other day when Finnick gave him a flirtatious compliment. I just nodded in understanding, while I ate my pizza in silence._

_ I thought that we would have spent the night at the cottage, but Cato told me that his parents were expecting him home soon, as it was nearly 3am. I knew that my parents would be very upset with me, but I managed to keep calm and enjoy this special moment with Cato. Although Cato wasn't aware, tonight made me finally accept my feelings. I could no longer tell myself that this boy didn't have an effect on me, because he did. But it was more than that. I could now picture myself with no other._

_ He gave me a really cute, nervous expression, as he motioned to enter his number in my phone. It was a very insignificant act in my opinion, but to Cato it was a big ordeal. He was practically trembling as he tapped the screen. Why couldn't he show this sincere side to everyone? I thought, but I knew well enough not to ask._

I was pulled from my reflections when I realized that I had forgotten about the glass ornament that had smashed over the carpet. I gradually made my way over to the closet and took hold of a broom. Travelling back to my room, I quickly cleaned up the mess, and jumped into the shower.

While I was in the shower, I took time to remind myself that it was the biggest party of the year, and Cato would be expecting me to be there. I had already asked if Katniss and Gale could accompany me. I thought back to yesterday evening when I texted both friends, and received a minor response from each. Although they accepted my offer to accompany me, they did not seem overly pleased about it. I was sure that they only wanted to look out for me. Moreover, Gale enjoyed his alcohol.

When I turned the taps off and reached for a soft, blue towel on the floor, I could hear my phone buzzing in the distance against the nightstand. I had only to hope that my father could not hear the noise, or else he would strip me of my cell phone entirely.

I dried myself off and ran as quickly as possible, and reached the phone at the last remaining second.

"Hello?" I said silently.

"Hey Peeta! Are you just getting up now?" Cato exclaimed into the phone, which made me pull my ear instinctively away from the speaker.

"I've been up for a little while," I replied, closing my door.

"Did I tire you out last night?" Cato responded. "As in, the swimming," he correct, his voice nervous and embarrassed.

"I can handle the late nights," I replied, flirtatiously. "That actually reminds me. Would you mind picking me up tonight?" I asked him, biting my lip as usual in anticipation.

"Let me think about that. I may have to check my schedule," Cato replied mockingly. "Of course I can! Why do you think I'm calling, Mellark!" he added.

"You almost had me there," I replied. "Perfect, can you pick me up down the street?" I inquired.

"Sure…but can I ask why? Are you parents mad because I brought you home late last night?" Cato responded, his tone turning into concern.

"Not at all, they barely noticed. And no reason, really. The party starts at 9, so can you be here at 8?" I replied, in question. I had to lie to him about being grounded, because I didn't want Cato to blame himself for taking me away from the bakery.

"I think I can manage that! Oh…wear something nice," Cato added, before saying goodbye. I heard the click of the phone, and knew he had hung up before I had the chance to respond.

_Wear something nice?_ I ask myself. _What am I getting myself into?_

* * *

**The Party**

I had arrived at the party alongside Cato, who looked particularly sensual in his outfit. I had chosen to wear a nice blue dress-shirt with rolled-up sleeves, and a pair of black pants. I decided to wear a white belt to accentuate the colors, and bring a racy element to my character.

Katniss and Gale arrived together, with a matching dress and tie. I wondered if Gale had popped the question yet, but decided not to embarrass them any more so than needed.

"Hey guys!" I shouted, and both Katniss and Gale waved before making their way over to where Cato and I stood.

"I'm going to head inside. Catch you later?" Cato said before turning and leaving.

"Things going well with Cato?" Katniss beamed, a little too excited.

"Other than the fact that I'm already madly in love with him, everything else is relatively good, I guess," I responded, smiling. I noticed that Katniss was wearing a all-black dress with a green band around the waist. Gale was wearing an all-black attire, with a green tie.

"You're too cute," Katniss replied, with a smile of her own. I noticed that her expression held no level of hatred for me, only happiness.

"Ready to get another level of wasted?" Gale exclaimed, which took Katniss and I by surprise. He was typically subtle, but his nerves must have gotten the best of him in the moment.

"I'm actually going to try and stay relatively sober. I want to impress Cato," I said simply. Katniss replied that she planned to get intoxicated simply on the atmosphere, before Gale and I broke out into laughter.

"Let's head inside," I suggested and we all made our way together. It felt nice knowing that at least for now things between us were all right. Everything in the world was at peace. Unfortunately not for long.

The party had started off relatively social, where most of the kids from school went around interacting with one another, watched television, or played around with the fancy gadgets that Cato's family owned. However, it took a drastic turn several hours later, when most of the kids became heavily intoxicated. I tried my best to keep an eye on Cato, but when the football crowd took him outside, I lost track of him. They were not gone long, but I suspected that there were activities going on that involved a high intake of alcohol for the quarterback. My suspicions were correct, when moments later Cato returned, severely intoxicated himself.

He was fumbling all over Clove, who was excitedly enjoying the attention as she danced around him flirtatiously. I had to refrain myself from watching any longer, because I felt increasingly disheartened and upset the longer it went on.

When he finally collapsed onto the glass stand in front of the television, I knew that he had not taken his alcohol in moderation. I had to run over to help him, alongside Clove, in order to lift him from the broken piece of furniture.

"Don't let that stop the party!" He exclaimed, raising his beer toward the ceiling. "My parents will just buy another one twice as expensive!"

Everybody continued to drink, and the music was turned back up again. Their taste in music was horrendous, but it was enough to create a buzz alone.

"I think you've had enough of that big guy," Clove said, snatching the beer bottle from his hand. "Peeta, would you be able to take Cato upstairs?" she asked me, before running over to stop an altercation in the kitchen.

"Peeta! I haven't seen you in forever! Oh, how I miss you," Cato mumbled. I just nodded at him and went along with his rambling, as I began leading the way across the room.

* * *

I led Cato up the stairs to his bedroom, supporting him as he tumbled over each set of stairs. I put my arm around his waist; since he was taller than me, which allowed me to somewhat steady him. His mind seems to be racing, and the room is blurring according to his uneasiness. I open the door before me, as I steal a glance to see if Cato is doing all right.

"Cato, you need to lay down," I reiterate several times over. I lead him across the room, and help to bring him onto the bed. His strong arms reflexively flex under the weight. It looks so good, that I can't help myself but to reach out to place a hand on his chest.

"Peeta, I want you," Cato admits, looking into my eyes with such force and recognition, that I begin to question his drunken state at all. I'm struck by his sincerity though, but he seems to be having trouble processing everything under the alcohol.

"Peeta, I want you," he states again, this time more stern than the last.

"Cato, you're drunk. You need your rest," I respond, trying to pull the covers over him. He immediately begins kicking the covers away and protesting like a child, before he continues.

"Peeta, I'm not drunk. I just want to be with you. Together. Come here. Please," Cato stutters over and over again. I try to contend with him but he's too strong, and I'm unable to do anything but wait for his tantrum to end.

"Cato, stop. Clove is downstairs waiting for you. Both of you clearly have something for one another," I respond.

"Clove? Never!" Cato exclaimed. He seemed to be slowly sobering up, but he was clearly out of his wits.

"Drink this," I said calmly, bringing a bottle of water of to his lips. He guzzled a bit of it, before pushing it away with his hand.

"Peeta, please. At least come sit down and talk this over with me," Cato said, and I had to admit that it seemed like the right thing to do. I didn't want to leave him, in case he began to become sick, so it would allow for me to watch over him.

I started to make my way around the bed, and climbed up on the other side. I was just about to settle in and begin telling him about my feelings that have been overbearing over the last two weeks, before he started complaining.

"Can you turn my nightstand lamp off? It's burning my eyes," Cato said, impatient as ever. I pulled myself up and over him and felt my hand connect with the lamp switch. I eagerly clicked it off, and began making my way back when a strong hand crashed into the back of my neck.

The sensation hit me like an arrow to the heart. It felt sweet…tender…passionate…but also heightened and steadily intensifying. Cato had pulled me down into an embrace and was currently kissing me like a growing wildfire. It was gradually amplifying, as he slipped his tongue into my mouth. I started to recoil, but his hand was strong on the back of my head. It was just how I imagined it would be when Cato kissed someone: he would be twirling his fingers around in your hair. The kiss was truly affecting my entire body, and I let out a low moan through my lips, which made Cato all the more excited. His other hand moved onto my chest and started slowly making its way toward my belt. I adjusted my hands into his hair while cupping his cheeks and pulled my left leg over to his other side. I was now straddling his waistline, and deepening the kiss with each movement of our lips.

And just as sudden as it began the wildfire extinguished, when Clove began knocking on the door, which startled both of us. Before I could react, Cato had tossed me to the floor and was shouting at her not to open the door. From the floor I could see the doorknob turning slowly; and despite the pain of the fall, I started running for the nearest shelter.

* * *

**Author's Note: Here you go! I wrote this between Shakespeare lessons, so if it's a little confusing then you can understand why ;) Hope you all enjoy! Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed, favourited, followed, and the works! Always appreciated ~ xx**


	7. Duplicitous

**Chapter 7: Duplicitous**

* * *

_And just as sudden as it began the wildfire extinguished, when Clove began knocking on the door, which startled both of us. Before I could react, Cato had tossed me to the floor and was shouting at her not to open the door. From the floor I could see the doorknob turning slowly; and despite the pain of the fall, I started running for the nearest shelter._

I eagerly rushed into Cato's bathroom just as Clove broke into the room, frantic and heavily intoxicated. I peered through the crack of the door and eavesdropped as their conversation broke into full swing.

"Cato! How are you feeling?" Clove asked while she attempted to make her way over to the bed. She stumbled several times before Cato reached out to support her, and she let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm feeling much better now," Cato replied, and I could tell from her expression that he was smiling as he spoke.

"I was so worried," Clove said, pouting as she spoke. I could see that she was already all over him, but I couldn't make out most of Cato's figure. I relied only on my partial vision and their voices to lead me to the situation.

"Don't be, baby. Come here," Cato replied, and I could see that he was embracing her with his two arms.

"Don't ever do that to me again, sweetie," Clove added, and I nearly vomited. I was hardly surprised when I started to see Clove's figure lean in close, and I knew that they were kissing. A pain spread through my body, and my muscles nearly gave out on me. I couldn't bring myself to understand this turn of events. I heard a glass smash, and pulled myself together long enough to peer through the door. I felt a knife strike me in the chest as I took in Cato's brawn figure straddling over Clove's petite body. They had intensified the kiss and I knew that it would not stop any time soon. I wiped the tears from my cheek, and tried to gasp for as much air as I could take into my lungs. I was having trouble breathing, but I knew that I could not allow Clove to catch me in here.

Instead, I slowly slid the door open, wide enough so that I could quickly fit through the gap, and bolted for the door as silently as possible. I made it to the bedroom door in a few strides, and didn't cast a second glance behind me as I ran down the stairs. The party was still in motion, and the music had been turned up considering the innumerable amount of people now dancing in the living room.

There were red cups everywhere, lining the couch to the table. I noticed a bowl of chips had been knocked over and its contents now lie on the hardwood floor. I could barely make out the figures under the flashing lights, but I was able to track down Katniss. She was near the television set, in the living room, dancing alongside a couple girls who were a year younger than us. _So much for getting drunk on the atmosphere_, I mumbled to myself through the tears. I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent a desperate text, before running down the flight of stairs.

I broke through the crowd of people rapidly, before running into Katniss frantically. I could tell that she knew something was wrong when her expression was overcome with concern. She grabbed my wrist and eagerly led the way outdoors. We had to make our way through several people before reaching the patio doors at the back of the house, near the kitchen. Katniss pushed the door open first, and led the way to a pair of patio chairs.

"Peeta, what happened?" Katniss asked as soon as the chair enveloped me. Her face had not changed from concern, but it held a small glimpse of understanding before I could even start speaking.

"Cato…" I replied, wiping at my runny nose and a tear that stained my cheek.

"What did he do?" Katniss asked sympathetically.

"Clove…and Cato…they…we kissed…" I stuttered, before plummeting my face into my hands, another sob wrecking through my body.

"Peeta…it's okay," Katniss said somberly, while rubbing my back. "Who kissed?" she added, stopping on briefly to push her finger to my chin and raise my face to hers.

"Cato kissed me…and then Clove," I managed through a thick set of tears.

"I don't understand, Peeta. Explain from the start," Katniss replied, with a confused look on her face.

"I helped Cato to his room since he wasn't feeling well, and he ended up kissing me. Clove knocked on the door, and I ran to the bathroom so that she wouldn't notice me. When I peered through the door, I heard Cato and Clove calling each other terms of endearment before they started kissing. I didn't stay long enough to find out how far it was going to go," I confessed, surprised that I was able to contain my tears long enough.

"I'm so sorry, Peeta," was all that Katniss could manage to say to me. Her expression never once expressed that she had warned me about him. Her face only represented genuine understanding.

"I'm so stupid, what was I thinking?" I shouted, another few short tears searing into my cheek as I shook my head violently.

"This is not your fault. Look at me, Peeta," Katniss said sternly. I turned to meet her gaze, as she continued: "This is not your fault."

I knew then that I needed Katniss. I couldn't stand to fight any longer, so I just allowed her to hold me in her arms. I could smell her sweet perfume making its way from her neckline to my nostrils. I breathed in the fresh scent of her shampoo, and the rustic smell of the forest, which clung to her after every visit. Our embrace was cut short when I heard a loud click a few feet away and turned my head, alongside Katniss, to see that Gale had joined us.

"Hey, what's going on out here?" Gale said quickly, before taking in our serious expression. "Oh, Cato…?" he implied.

"Can you believe that he had the nerve to string Peeta along and then sleep with Clove knowing full-well that Peeta was in the room?" Katniss exclaimed, before raising her hands to cover her mouth. "I'm sorry, Peeta. I'm horrible at keeping secrets with Gale…" she added. I nodded that it was all right, and we turned back to Gale who had an odd expression on his face.

"What is it?" I asked. I brought myself to stand, and began making my way over to him. "Tell me what you know, Hawthorne, or so help me," I screamed. I had closed the distance between us and my face was now only a few short inches from his. He looked both nervous and guilty.

"Cato and Clove came downstairs about 10 or 15 minutes after you two went outside. Cato was looking for you. Heck, the guy even approached me to ask where you had gone. I could tell that something had happened, and I didn't know what to do, so I told him that you left," Gale confessed. "I'm sorry!" he exclaimed thereafter, and he rested a firm hand on my shoulder trying to calm me down.

"Don't worry, I'm on my way out anyway," I said angrily, and stomped off toward the patio doors. I could hear both Katniss and Gale shouting after me, but once again I didn't bother to turn around to face them. I opened the door and sent it crashing closed behind me. I scanned the room quickly, before my eyes locked onto just the person I was looking for. He was standing in the doorway, looking out-of-place. He caught sight of me before waving.

"I got your text!" Finnick exclaimed.

I hardly heard what he said, before I closed the distance between us and crashed my lips into his. I could tell that he was taken by surprise, but he didn't bother to recoil. I was sure that Cato would take notice in a matter of time, so I started intensifying our lip lock. I placed a hand on Finnick's firm chest, and slid my tongue into his mouth. I slid my hand down toward his waistline, straddling his belt, and I could hear him moaning in between breaths. Just as Finnick appeared to be relaxing, I pulled back and turned around to see Cato watching me. His eyes were stained red with tears and I could see a large flicker of pain make its way through them. I decided to make matters worse when I dragged Finnick to the dance floor and began grinding on him intently. He stood behind me as I provocatively danced against his body, raising my arm to grasp the side of his hair as I made my way lower. The music was blaring now, and my vision was starting to blur from all the moving bodies around us. I turned around to face Finnick, and I could see Cato just over his shoulder glaring at us still, this time joined by Katniss and Gale who were shaking their heads. _Mine as well put on a show_, I thought first. I pushed Finnick onto the love sofa and jumped onto his lap. I immediately started to thrust my body sexually against Finnick's, tossing my hips back and forth as I straddled him. I crashed my lips into his, before standing back up again. I shot out my hand to Finnick to help him up from the sofa, and I noticed that my provocative performance had stimulated him to the point where his eyes were heavy with lust.

"Let's get out of here," I whispered to him, before stringing my fingers into his and heading over to open the door. I didn't give Cato a second glance as I sent the door slamming behind us. It wasn't long before the roar of the engine brought Finnick's car to life and the lights of Cato's mansion disappeared in the distance. I cranked the music up, loud enough to be unable to think anymore. Finnick looked unusually surprised by my sudden change in behavior, more less my advances only minutes before.

I tossed my hand into my pocket to reach for my phone, which was currently vibrating aggressively. I had several text messages from Katniss and Gale, and a few missed calls. Cato was currently attempting to call me, but I did not want to hear his excuses. Instead, I simply tapped the ignore button on the screen, and started to dance in the car. I opened the window, enough to toss my head outside and feel the wind zipping through my hair. It felt amazing. The air was refreshing, and particularly peaceful despite the raging music coming from only a few feet inside the car. I took in the sweet smell that wafted from the riverside drive, unaware of where we were going, although I could have cared less at this point. I closed my eyes and allowed the music to take control.

* * *

I woke up peacefully, and experience the small profound moment of serenity as I had felt for the last few days. I could feel the feeling returning to my fingers and toes, and I started stretching the rest of my muscles. My yawn turned into a low grunt and then I rolled over and curled up more tightly into a ball. I was currently grasping my knees between my two arms and resting my head into a warm pillow comfortably. I stretched a hand upwards which knocked against a headboard, which sent my hand flying back in pain.

I noticed then that something about the atmosphere around me didn't seem right. I opened my left eye to take in my surroundings before realizing that I was not in my own bed. Awareness came in a flash and I panicked, as this was a strange and frightening moment.

_Where am I? How did I get here?_ I thought to myself frantically. I could feel my palms and upper lip beginning to perspire. My fingers trembled, and I tucked my toes in which had become severely cold. No reassuring thoughts came to mind, and I was beginning to move, before an arm fell overtop of me, stopping me from my escape. I let out a shout, and started thrashing the sheets in a fright.

"Peeta, it's okay. It must have been a nightmare," the boy whispered beside me.

I gradually turned slowly, my arm tucked underneath my body as I faced the speaker. _Finnick_, I realized. The events of the night before came rushing back instantaneously. I had to pull myself back from Finnick's proximity to process all the memories of the night before. _We were driving with the music blaring…we ended up back at his place…we talked about what happened with Cato…and then we just slept, right?_ I asked myself.

"How did you sleep, handsome?" Finnick asked flirtatiously. He leaned in and quickly pressed his lips against mine. I didn't know whether or not one of our breaths smelt appalling or if it was just my view of myself in the moment.

"Finnick. What happened last night?" I asked, a horrified expression making its way onto my face.

"You don't remember? It's kind of hard to remember this," Finnick replied, before pulling me into another embrace and stealing another kiss. I had to physically push him away from me in order to piece together the events. I started shouting at him, and bashing my own character for my own stupidity; then grabbing the sheets to cover my naked body, I made my way to the bathroom to change.

Finnick was at the door in no time at all, trying to convince me to come out to talk. I slipped on a pair of boxer briefs and a pair of black skinny jeans. I stopped to look at myself in the mirror. I looked as if I had two black eyes from the circles, which hung low, under my strained eyes. I ran my fingers under the water before applying my hands to my hair, to calm the mess it had become throughout the night. I was absolutely disgusted with my behavior. I remembered exactly what Finnick and I had done together, and I couldn't forgive myself for it. I eagerly through on a cardigan and a blue belt and made my way out of the washroom.

"What's going on with you, Peeta?" Finnick started with a worried expression. "I thought that you wanted this…us?" he proposed.

"I don't know what I want, Finnick!" I screamed, which I knew would wake up the other members of his family from the sound of the echo.

"I don't understand. I picked you up from that mess last night and I give you a place to stay, and now you're treating me like dirt," Finnick said sadly. His face looked worn, and I noted that I had never seen him without his gorgeous locks of hair perfectly gelled and a glass-like complexion.

"I'm so sorry, Finnick. I need to get out of here," I replied, reaching for my shoes and turning back to the door. I was about to reach for the handle, but I stopped in my tracks when I heard Finnick's stern voice.

"Remember, Peeta. You wanted this; you can't change that," he said gravely. I cast a glance behind me over to where the boy now sit sadly on the bed, and mouthed an apology before turning the door handle and rushing out of the room. I fought to hold back tears when I finally arrived in the entranceway. My hands were shaking as I dialed the number for the bakery.

"Mom? I need you," I said, pressing my right thumb and index finger to my eyes. They were burning under the pressure, and I knew that she was my last resort.

"Alright honey, I'll be there in a couple of minutes," my mother replied after I explained to her that I was at Finnick's house. I could tell by her tone that she was worried, but I knew that she would be aware of the events that took place the night before – without me having to explain myself in any manner.

She arrived no later than ten minutes as she pulled up into the driveway. I eagerly ran to the car. My mother had opened her door and had run over to embrace me in no time at all. She whispered, "it was alright" as she bent down to kiss my head. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders, like Cato had done so many times before, and led me to the passenger's side. We were on the road before long, and I peered out the window to see the sun shining down through the thick tree line. The forest here along the river was very dense and remarkably dry this time of year. We drove on in silence, neither one bothering to turn on the radio. We just passed occasional smiles between one another, which was enough to reassure me that things were, truly, going to be all right.

For the remainder of the afternoon, my mother had come hourly to check on me in my room, to ensure that I was all right. I would only nod to her, before she would express concern and would return only in an hour's time. There was one occasion where I started hysterically crying, just after lunch, where my mother returned to my room early. She caught me eagerly trying to cover the tears and the shrieks that were escaping my lungs. Instead of telling me that things would be all right this time, rather she began to ease my pain by telling me something I never thought I'd hear my mother say. She said, "I'm going to tell you something that not a lot of adults have the guts to admit to their children, okay Peeta?"

I recall nodding at her and simply resting my head in her lap as she went on. "You'll fall in love again. Despite what you might think, it will happen. It always does, no matter how much you care for this boy. It may just have taken a couple missteps to realize that Cato may not be the one for you," she added. Her tone was grave, but otherwise inspirational and heartfelt. I knew that she meant what she was saying, and took this conversation to heart.

"I don't want to lose him," I said, muffling another set of tears.

"Honey, you need to stop crying. It'll get worse before it gets better. But I want you to know that I respect any decision you decide to make, you hear me? I will support you no matter what. Just promise your mother that you'll be careful," she said, pulling my chin up to meet her gaze.

"I would have been lost without you today, mom," I replied, managing a small smile as a final tear trickled its way down my cheek. My mother took her index finger and slowly caressed the cheek where the teardrop had left a trail.

"That's what I'm here for, honey. Anytime," my mom added. She gave me a kiss on the forehead, before she stood up and made her way to the door. She turned around last minute to give me a final piece of advice. "You know, when I first met your father it wasn't always like it is now. There was a time when we thought that our relationship wouldn't work out either. But we managed to fight through whatever threw itself in our path – because we loved each other, Peeta. And to this day, I have never regretted a single moment of our time together. Your father gave me happiness… and he gave me you," she said simply. She gave me a caring, one-sided smile, and then closed the door on her way out.

My mother's words really hit close to home for me, as I peered outside my bedroom window at the setting sun; I was all cried out now. I reached for my sketchpad and flipped through a couple pages before reaching a blank sheet. I started drawing the sights before me, and was able to rid my mind of my thoughts for a small moment of time. I integrated several different variations of orange and yellow colorings, before tearing the page out and throwing it in the trash bin. I reached for a blue pastel and started drawing intently. When I finished I realized that I had drawn two separate images. My first draft was of the setting sun, and my newfound painting was of the rising moon. It was darker, more sinister, but also more beautiful. It came bearing darkness, but it also represented a light in the midst of all the turmoil and destruction. Yet, the moon in my mind had always appeared to be lonely. It had only the stars to keep it company throughout the nights, when human beings would hide away under the sheets of their beds. But finally, the moon was evocative of something the sun could never achieve: it was picturesque even through its flaws.

I let the painting slip out of my hands and fall to the floor, before I started for my sweater and my car keys. I rushed off with a small goodbye to my parents, before tackling the road. The car roared to life in seconds, and I immediately revved the engine. I was going well over the speed limit, which I had not bothered to abide too since I left home. The road winded back and forth, and I took in the sight of the moonlight reflecting off the river. I had made it to my destination in exactly twenty-four minutes. I turned the car off, removed the keys, locked the doors, and ran quickly for the doors.

The key slid into the lock easily, and with a clockwise-turn, I heard the "click" sound of the door unlocking itself. I pushed my way into the living room, striking a match and throwing in a couple logs of wood to begin warming the place. I hadn't taken off my jacket yet, so I travelled over to the downstairs bedroom and placed it on an unknown bed. I remembered that Cato had told me that the guest bedroom was upstairs, so I would need to find that at some point.

Next I checked on the fridge to see if there were any late night snacks that I could sink my teeth into. Luckily for me, I found tray with tin foil over it, which turned out to be strawberry cheesecake. I quickly placed the slice on a glass dish, before making my way back over to the fire.

The fire was warm against all my muscles. I sat on the ledge where Cato and I first talked the other night. The bricks were warm from the fire, which I could feel against my jeans. I prepared myself to grab a pair of pajamas, but as I started to raise myself from the seat, I heard the door shaking. If it weren't for the obvious form of Cato, I would have panicked under the pressure.

"Peeta! I'm so glad you're here. I knew that you would come at one point or another," Cato said, pulling off his grey jacket.

"Well, I'm here now. What are you doing here?" I asked him back, with a steady voice. _How could he stand there innocently?_

"This is my place, you know," Cato chuckled. He noticed that I didn't laugh alongside him, before he slowly traversed the room over to where I was currently standing. "We need to talk," he added simply.

"About what? The fact that you slept with Clove right after kissing me? Don't even begin to tell me that you were intoxicated, because I know damn well—" I screamed, before Cato's deep voice interrupted mine mid-sentence.

"I didn't sleep with her. I actually told her that I was interested in someone else!" Cato exclaimed.

"Really? And was that before or after you stuck your tongue down her throat," I retorted, angrily. I hadn't realized that I had this much bottled up emotion until now, and I was unable to control myself any longer. I had been a ticking time bomb and I was about to explode.

"Peeta, I'm sorry you had to see that, but I promise you: nothing is going on between Clove and I," Cato tried.

"Do you really think I'm that pathetic? That'd I'd sit here and listen to you lie to my face, Cato," I replied.

"And you're so innocent?" Cato exclaimed. He knew that he should not have said anything, because I immediately became further aggravated.

"You had your fix, why couldn't I have mine? This world doesn't revolve around that selfish, egotistical head of yours!" I screeched back at him.

"So you did sleep with him!" Cato said, both angrily and saddened. His eyes were everywhere around the room, searching for some sort of answer.

"No! I wouldn't do that to you, but I will admit that I wanted too," I lied. I panicked in the moment when I saw the flash of hurt on his face, and I could not bear to inflict any more hardship on him.

"That's just as bad!" Cato retorted, this time more infuriated than the last.

"Why should it be? It's not like we have something, you and I!" I yelled back at him.

"That's all on you! You're the one who ran off in the first place," Cato replied.

I took a moment to compose myself, as I rested my head against my arm on the mantle of the fireplace. I breathed slow breaths in and out; several times before I could pull myself together long enough to sustain a healthy conversation.

"I didn't think you had a preference, particularly for boys," I said, curiously.

"I don't know what I want, Peeta. But I do know that when we're together, I'm a better person. You, make me a better person. I hate seeing us fight like this," Cato replied.

"I guess we're both a little lost," I admitted, avoiding his gaze.

"And that's why we have each other, and this place. We can always come here to get away from everything. There's nowhere I'd rather be right now than here, with you." Cato had moved closer to me now, and I felt him slip his arms through my waist and hold me. Our argument had escalated so quickly, and dimmed to nothingness shortly thereafter. I felt his head come down on my shoulder and I lost all feelings of anger. I turned my head to look up at him, before planting a small kiss onto his lips.

He pulled me to the couch, and this time he pulled himself over top of me. I looked into his eyes, which were the color of a deep blue ocean current; but in the moonlight, they looked almost serenely silver. From the pressure of his hands, I could tell he was as nervous as I was. When he finally leaned down, I could first smell the sweet scent of pine mixed with a flurry of unidentifiable odors, which all together smelt like the forest after a light drizzle, then the smell of his shampoo.

His lips reached mine, which were so soft against my skin. I couldn't stop my heart from pounding in my chest. Blood flowed rapidly in my cheeks, making them flushed with a red blush. I wasn't nervous, but I had been waiting for this moment for what seemed like ages, and it was finally happening.

I ran my fingers through his hair slowly, entwining each and every lock. Every time I took a breath between our kisses, I would be filled with the scent of fresh peppermint. His breath was cool against mine for a moment in time, and then he suddenly pulled away. He cocked his head to the side playfully, and spoke a few short words that immediately broke the ice.

"Do I taste cheesecake?"

* * *

**Author's Note: This chapter contains a lot of symbolism, imagery, and foreshadowing. Read carefully and enjoy! xx**


	8. Surreptitious

**Chapter 8: Surreptitious**

* * *

It had been a week since Cato and I had confessed our feelings for each other and had stayed the night at the cottage on the lake. We had mostly spent the night talking about where things stood between us; making sure to indulge in the remainder of the desserts that lined the first shelf in the fridge. In between our conversation and the movie playing in the background, I had completely lost track of time and decided that it would be best for the both of us if we made our way to our separate bedrooms to sleep. Cato eagerly agreed when he seen the clock on the television set, and he gave me a small kiss before we each trailed off.

Since that night things had been fairly uneventful. I had seen him during the week at school, and we sat beside each other as much as we could in class, and I found myself falling more and more head-over-heels for him. He would send me flirtatious comments left and right, but he was consistently reserved when others were around. I knew it would be better to keep things secretive for now, before any more drama could make its way into our group. As for Katniss and Gale things were back to normal, as they always were after a small argument. They would forgive me on a turn of a dime, never holding any hard feelings but also never forgetting the events. It was a rough couple of days for the first half of the week, but by the time the weekend rolled around again, things were at peace between us.

I was now working the closing shift at the bakery on a Saturday night. I had received a text from Cato an hour or two ago, and had been waiting for his arrival ever since. It was now nine o'clock, which meant that it was time to close. I performed the usual closing duties: which consisted of repositioning the cakes back into the refrigerator for the night, dimming the lights, and locking the doors, among many others. I heard a honking noise from a car outside, which signaled that Cato was here to give me a ride home. He had been exceptionally available lately for the smallest of troubles, which I was truly appreciative of.

I grabbed a blue sweater, since I knew that it was a little cooler tonight than usual. I made sure that I had my phone, wallet, and keys, and then made my way out the door. The cool night breeze hit me first. It was exceptionally chilly, and I could see my breath as I breathed in and out, in and out, in and out. I could smell the bakery on the wind, even though it was significantly light. I threw my sweater on in a hurry, and locked the door. I headed down the stairs, and rounded the corner to see Cato sitting in the car, radio on mute. His blonde locks had grown since I had first met him, and typically they did not look as long but the wind wretched itself through his hair, seemingly creating a golden fire.

"Hey!" I said, as I opened the passenger door and made my way into the car. I watched as he turned his head over to me with the biggest smile resting on his lips. "Yes yes, don't worry, I didn't forget. Here you go: blueberry straddle as promised," I muttered, flirtatiously.

"You're the best!" Cato said, before leaning in to take a bite of the simmering pastry. "Tastes like heaven," he added, swinging his head back to face me.

"You're so messy," I laughed, and using my thumb, I swept a flake from the side of his lip. Under the moonlight he looked as dashing as ever. It wasn't just his hair that the wind swayed, but also his sweet cologne. It filled my senses with wonder and intrigue, and his eyes penetrated into my own with a smoldering desire. I couldn't help myself any longer, and I reached over and grabbed the back of his head and closed the distance between us, sending our lips crashing into one another. It was heated before long, and our tongues had battled for dominance. I allowed Cato the honors tonight and allowed him to do his bidding. I unbuckled the seat belt and jumped into his lap, straddling his waistline. He broke off the kiss and started trailing kisses down my neck, sending a shutter down my spine and large moans erupting from my lungs.

"Your lips feel amazing against my skin," I said in between breaths. He reached his hands up under my shirt and rested one on my side and the other on my ribs. I had begun to rummage my fingers through his hair and both of us continued to kiss passionately. Before long, Cato stated that we better stop before things reached the point of no return. I could already feel his growing anticipation, and in more ways than one, as I pulled myself from his lap and buckled myself back in.

"One more for the road," Cato said, and leaned in again. I couldn't help but completely swoon at his charm, so I gave in to his wishes. I pressed my lips seductively against his and slid my hand over to his hip. Just as he started getting into it again, my mind jerked back to the memory of Finnick and I. I immediately broke the kiss and smiled, before turning away from him.

"Everything all right, Peeta?" Cato said, inquisitively. He was both sympathetic and teasing at the same instant.

"Everything's perfect," I said, but I knew that it was a lie. I could deny it as much as I wanted too, but I knew I made a mistake with Finnick. Despite the fact that we were not official at the time, and our relationship still hangs in the air unknowingly, I knew that two wrongs did not make a right. What he did with Clove was different, more deceitful than anything. But what I had done with Finnick during the time after the fallout was different. I had done it out of anger, out of spite, and out of sheer loneliness. I had tried for days to confess to Cato, but he made everything so impossible with that gleaming smile of his. _How could I risk losing him?_ I thought to myself.

"Good. Are you ready for what I have planned for us tonight? Well…what Clove and Cashmere planned for all of us," Cato corrected.

"I can only imagine what those two came up with," I said, rolling my eyes and managing a small laugh alongside with Cato.

Cato had shifted the car into reverse, and had pulled out of the parking lot and before long we were travelling toward Cashmere and Gloss' house. I remembered Cato telling me that they were fairly rich, and that their parents worked as jewelers, but I had never actually met them. Cashmere and Gloss hardly talked about them either, which was somewhat unusual to me, but I understood how they felt nonetheless. Cato had put the roof up for the convertible since it was uncomfortable in the wind, which disallowed me to take in the scent of pine trees on the journey. I spent most of the car ride there thinking about where things would go from here come Monday, when I had to see Finnick again.

It was an hour or so before we had managed to pick up Cashmere and Gloss, alongside the others who had met up at their house. We took two cars and immediately set off for downtown. I noticed that Cashmere and Gloss, who had joined us in our vehicle, were unusually chatty, keeping to themselves for most of the ride. The only time either one bothered to speak to Cato and I happened to be when they wanted us to make a right or left turn.

When we finally pulled up to the building, my face drooped and my jaw hung open. I was immediately panged with fear and felt my palms begin to sweat. I took in the girls who waited in the line outside, dressed as if they were going to be pole dancing at any moment. The boys were dressed fairly nicely, most wearing rolled-up dress-shirts or polo shirts. My eyes trailed up the building up toward the neon lights that lit up the billboard with "Envy" written on it. It was Panem Cities most prestigious club, and we were supposedly going in.

I shot Cato a worried glance, but he had already begun to make his way out of the car. He was laughing alongside Marvel now, and the others joined us soon after. Cashmere each gave us our fake ID's, which completely threatened to make me pass out from the stress of the situation. I had never been to a club before, for the obvious reason that I was not of age. Neither were any of the others, except for Cashmere and Gloss who had started a year later when they were young.

"Alright, let's do this," Cashmere said excitedly. "It's going to be so much fun!" she screamed.

"I hope there are some cute boys here tonight," Glimmer responded first.

"Just don't go after the same type as last time, Glim. You don't want to go down that road again, do you?" Marvel quipped in mockingly.

"It was a rough night, and I had a couple drinks in me. I didn't know what I was getting myself into," Glimmer responded, winking at him.

"I really hope there are some top-notch women in there, who know how to make things worth my while," Gloss stated next, his tone filled with cockiness.

"I really don't want to hear anymore, Gloss," Cashmere said, imitating herself being nauseated.

"Cato, try and handle your liquor this time, won't you," Clove chimed in. She was standing a little further away from us, anxiously waving us over. Everyone began making his or her way, and I followed in suit nervously, before a hand gripped my wrist and tugged me back.

"It's a long story, but last time we were here things got a little out of hand. Nothing to worry about though. Oh, and try not to stick around me too much tonight, I don't want anybody to suspect anything," Cato said, before looking around at our surroundings and then planting a quick kiss on my cheek. "Let's go!" Cato said, as he started for the lineup.

We weren't in the line for too long, considering Cashmere had personal attachments to one of the men who worked the bar. I didn't bother to ask what "attachments" she had to him, but I could only assume. Considering she was flirting with the bouncers outside the club, I knew that her attachments were not all reserved…

When Cashmere made it possible for the rest of us to enter the club, I felt my nerves dwindle slowly. When we passed through the dark tunnel and cleared our way into the first room, I was immediately struck by the magnitude of the environment. There were blue and green lights flashing all over the room, and bodies lined the entire room tightly. It was fairly dark and the music was extremely loud that I feared I would lose my friends during the onslaught of the action. Fortunately we moved together through the crowds in a single-file and made our way over to the bar section.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked Cato, and he immediately responded with whatever beer they had on tap. I said that I would have the same, considering I had no idea what kind of drinks they had. Although I didn't really enjoy the taste of beer, it would be enough to give me a little buzz. The remainder of the night would be spent, in Katniss' words, "getting intoxicated on the atmosphere."

Most of the girls had already reached the dance floor and had already partnered up with several sets of guys. They encircled the girls with their strong bodies, and although I was a little fearful they seemed to be enjoying the attention as they always did. I turned to ask Cato a question, but I realized that he had disappeared. It was hard to make out the faces of individuals, let alone their clothing under the flashing lights and crowded bodies.

I cruised through the mass collection of bodies hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy, but I had no luck. _I might as well go and try to find him_, I mumbled to myself. It was hard enough to hear myself think, so I guzzled down the remainder of my drink and started toward the danger zone.

I tried calling out all their names, but didn't receive any luck. I tried to fit into the crowd in order to progressively make my way toward the other side, but yet again found myself without any luck. It was only when I started to get into the groove of the dance floor when I spotted Cato dancing alongside Clove and another unknown blonde with skin-tight clothing and a massive-case of cleavage. I hardly cared that Cato wanted to bide his time with the blonde, but seeing Clove hanging all over him once again sent me spiraling.

I decided that I'd enjoy the night on my own, rather than have to deal with the drama between those two. Besides, Cato asked me to stay away from him, which the memory brought back with it the sharp pain, from the first statement. I began to dance provocatively with three girls and truly started to enjoy myself. When they collectively went to the washroom together, a good-looking boy who continued to eye me as he danced against another girl joined me. He was probably six-foot-two and he had dark brown short hair. His eyes looked green in the darkness, but it was hard to focus. He began seductively grabbing my waist, and I started to run my hips along his own.

He raced his hands over my body, and I began feeling heated. It wasn't passionate like it was with Cato, but it evoked a lustful advance in me that I had not felt since the kiss I shared with Finnick. My anger fuelled me to such lengths, but I enjoyed letting loose every now and again. I grinded my hips further into his front, and I could hear him groaning under the pressure of my backside. I was sweating lightly, which made my hair fall just above my eyelashes. Under the music and the lights I hardly noticed that Cato was watching me from the bar. His face was flushed with jealousy and anger, and I knew that I better cool off before Cato created another scene.

"Buy me a drink!" I shouted at the boy, who nodded with a smile and followed me to the bar. I thought I could feel him tugging at my hand as we walked, but I quickly shot my hand in front of me to avoid the situation. He didn't seem overly upset by this when I passed a flirtatious glance back at him, as he continued to smile seductively at me.

"I'm Griffyn!" he shouted. I thought the name was sexy, and it completely matched his tussled hair and glowing eyes under the club lights.

"Peeta," I said back a couple of times, before he actually registered it.

"Cute," he started, which made me blush. "What can I get you?" he asked.

"I'll take one of whatever you're having," I said, my cheeks still flushed with a blush and a large grin on my face.

He smiled at me, and placed a couple of bills on the bar and began speaking with the bartender. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and I eagerly plummeted my hand into my pocket to retrieve it. When I stared down at the screen I could see that Cato had been the one to send it.

_What are you doing? – Cato_

_Just having a little fun… - I responded_

_A little too much if you ask me – Cato_

_Give Clove my regards – I responded_

_Don't do anything I __WOULD__ do – Cato_

_I'll see you in a bit – I responded_

I was brought back to reality when I turned to see Griffyn standing before me with two elegant looking drinks. They were a raspberry color, each with an umbrella and a sugarcoated rim.

"Strawberry Daiquiri for Peeta," Griffyn said, with a wink.

"This looks amazing," I replied, and took a small sip from the resting straw. It was fairly strong, with an unmistakable amount of white rum, but it tasted amazing.

"You look amazing," Griffyn mumbled. I blushed at the comment, and began guzzling the drink back quickly. "Might want to slow down on the booze," he chuckled, but he did the same and before I knew it we were back on the dance floor. We resumed our provocative dance, and I looked up to see Glimmer winking at me, before giving me a "thumbs up." I always knew that Glimmer was aware that I liked guys, much from effect of talking with my best friend, Gale.

"Can I get your number?" Griffyn asked next, as he swung his hips into mine and laid his hands on my sides. I turned to face him, and slipped my hand into his front pocket, taking a little longer than needed to clutch his phone. I could tell that this excited him when his eyes dilated instinctively. I added my number and added a heart at the end of my name before placing phone back – but this time in his back pocket. He shook his head and smiled as I did so, and we continued to dance for a while thereafter.

"I'm going back to the bar, I'll find you after," I shouted above the music, and he gave me a nod and before beginning to dance with a couple of gorgeous girls.

The aisle to the bar was always crowded, and I had to make my way through several people before I could make a quick break to the counter. I slammed down a twenty-dollar bill and asked for a drink similar to the one the bartender had just handed to young, midnight hair colored girl.

"One Pomegranate Tanqueray Martini," the bartender stated, and handed me the drink. I smiled before reaching into my pocket to reach for my phone. I had received another message from Cato.

_Meet me by the love sofa in the private red room – Cato_

_I'll be there in a little bit! – I replied_

I turned to look for Griffyn, but he was lost in the midst of the crowd of sweating adults. I decided that I'd wait for him to text me before explaining the situation. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and turned back to grab my drink. I quickly sipped from it as I made my way over to the red room. I was taken by surprise when a highly intoxicated girl ran into me, which made me spill some of my drink. I was not upset by the incident, but when she began seductively teasing my waistline, I eagerly tried to escape.

I finally escaped from her clutches, before walking swiftly over to the red room. The room was filled with lustful colors of red, love chairs and couches, heart-shaped pillows, seductive music that was overly filled with sexual inferences, among many other attributes. I found Cato sitting toward the back in one of the private rooms. I swigged the rest of the martini before placing it on a counter.

"Hey cutie," I said, practically collapsing into his lap.

"Hey, what's gotten into you?" Cato said, chuckling. "Has someone had too many to drink?" he added, questioningly.

"I only had three," I replied. I didn't understand why I was feeling this way. The room was spinning, and I still felt thirsty. In fact, I felt dehydrated. But above all I felt the need to dance. "Come here," I stuttered, unable to form words that made sense as I pulled his arms over my shoulders.

Cato was laughing inexplicably, and he pushed me down into the couch, resting my head on a red, fluffy pillow shaped like a heart. His lips came crashing down into mine, and I felt myself fall into oblivion. I could hear his lips as they trailed down my neck again, a fetish that Cato knew full well would get me excited. I could feel his tongue on my neck and the sucking sound filled the air around us.

As soon as it began it was over and he pulled himself away from me with a smirk.

"What?" I asked, questioningly. "Why did you stop?" I added.

"I just wanted to give you a hickey…so people know that you're mine," Cato said flirtatiously, without any sense of possessiveness whatsoever. He was just being the same, flirtatious, charming, and cheeky Cato that he had always been.

"Then allow me to do the same," I responded. He leaned his neck back, but my mind faltered at the last minute, and I started lowering myself to his waist. I placed my hand on his belt buckle and began tugging to loosen the hold.

"What are you doing?" Cato asked, panicked. He shot a glance through the hanging curtains and back at me, as I straddled his pant line now, running my fingers back and forth. "You're not usually like this…" Cato added, confused.

I was going to reply, but I caught sight of the red lava lamp, and my gaze was transfixed. It captivated me, the way the globules made their way from one end to the other and detached and morphed together as they traversed. It pulled me in and I found myself watching the goblets with a distinct attention to detail. They were perfectly round and when the goblets fused together they would create undistinguishable shapes. However, these shapes were a work of art in themselves. "Peeta?" I heard Cato call, but I couldn't shift my gaze. I was so captivated by the smallest changes that took place in the lamp. I reached my fingers out to touch the lamp and felt the warmth surge through my fingers. This made me engage in an uncontrollable laughter, which I could not for the sake of me bring myself to quit. I titled my head left and right to take in the different angles and the shifting globules.

"Earth to Peeta," Cato said, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

"Kiss me, Cato," I said uncontrollably, over and over again. _Kiss me, Cato. Kiss me, Cato. Kiss me, Cato._ Neverone sounding exactly like the other. I nearly pounced onto him, and dug my fingernails into his back as I started profusely smashing my lips into his. "I want you, Cato," I stammered in between breaths.

"Not like this. Not when you're—" Cato started, but the alarm in the club started to go off, and the lights immediately flickered on. I was blinded by the white aura coming down on us in the private room, before Cato and I peered through the curtains to see people running.

What I heard next nearly snapped me out of my insanity: "Drug bust!" people were screaming back and forth. Cato's head instinctively shot toward me before his eyes dilated in recognition.

"Not when you're high on ecstasy," Cato shouted, before grabbing me by the waist and heading for the door at the back of the club. I could hardly walk, and I only remember the world spinning around me before I collapsed in Cato's arms, and all the light that illuminated the room went dark.

* * *

When I woke up, I noticed that there was sunlight peering through the blinds. I had to squint my eyes to try and focus on my surroundings. I could see hardwood and a blue comforter, and before I could panic, an arm came crashing down on me.

"Don't worry, Peeta, you're okay," Cato whispered, lowering me back down to lie down. I was facing the ceiling, so I turned to look into his beautiful blue eyes. They were tired looking, and he had two large shadows hanging underneath each of his eyelids. _He must not have slept at all throughout the night…or he was hung-over_, I thought to myself.

"What happened? All I can remember is the room spinning," I admitted, rubbing my eyes as I spoke.

"Somebody must have put something in your drink, Peeta. I'm sure it was ecstasy by the way you were acting…" Cato replied groggily. He exerted a large yawn, but his arm that rested over my side did not move.

"How I was acting?" I asked, confused and a little embarrassed.

"You were a little…out of it? And a little too into it," he said, stressing the last "it" to distinguish it from the first. I immediately realized what he meant when I thought back to the side effects of ecstasy: mental stimulation, confusion, decreased anxiety, furthered sex drive…

"Oh my God," I replied, flushed with embarrassment and averting my eyes from his own. I almost began crying from the simplest of humiliations, fearing that I would lose Cato over this. I had yet to tell him about Finnick and I did not need anything else on my conscience.

"Don't be embarrassed, Peeta. You couldn't help it!" Cato exclaimed, pushing my chin back to meet his watch. "Besides, I kind of enjoyed seeing a little bit of spunk in you. It was sexy," Cato added, this time more flirtatious than before. He gave me a quick kiss, but I broke it off.

"You're not mad? I practically attacked you on the love sofa if I remember correctly," I stated.

"I'd much rather have you jump me than some guy on the dance floor," Cato stated. This time his voice wasn't only filled with desire, but also with a bit of jealousy.

I decided that it was no use trying to muddle over what had already passed, and started to play along.

"So tell me, was this all a ploy to get me into bed with you?" I asked playfully, with a seductive smile.

"Either way it worked, right?" Cato responded, cocky as ever.

"You could have just asked," I responded, biting my lip.

"You shouldn't have said that…" Cato said, with a smirk.

"Why?" I asked, unsure where he was planning to go with this.

"Because now I don't want us to get up," Cato winked, and then rolled himself on top of me. I was surprised to say the least, but everything was at peace again when his lips came down slowly. The anticipation was killing me, but I allowed myself to wait for Cato's advances. He slowly lowered himself until his lips pressed against mine softly, and this time there was a longing passion behind each touch.

I began moaning and while my hormones raged, I knew I had to pull myself together somewhat in order to ask my next question. "Cato…do you want to go on a date with me?" I said, which sounded completely worse than what I had pictured in my mind.

His lips pulled up from my neck, and he looked into my eyes with a distinctive happiness, only Cato could express. "I thought we were past all that," he teased, as he planted a couple more kisses onto my neck, working his way up to my lips again.

I had to tilt my head to the side a little to avoid his lips reaching mine once again. "I'm serious…I want to be able to show my beautiful, blonde beau off to the rest of Panem City. I want them to know that you're all mine," I said, playfully but also truthfully.

He stopped kissing my neck and fell down beside me on the bed. "I'm not sure, Peeta. This sort of thing…the others wouldn't understand…" Cato replied, tilting his head toward me sympathetically. "But…" he started, his tone changing from serious toward seductive once again, "…I could be convinced."

"Is that so?" I teased playfully, mounting onto him this time. He was much larger and stronger than me, as my legs squeezed themselves against his side. I breathed in a small air, fresh with the scent of his musky cologne that still wafted off of him. His hair was a mess as usual in the morning, but it was definitely a nice sight. I pressed my lips into his, before I heard a knock at the door. I immediately jumped over to the other side of the bed, as Cato jumped up and out of it.

"Yes?" Cato asked nervously.

"Honey, your father and I wanted to know if you would like to join us for brunch with all the neighbors in the garden. Can you open the door?" Cato's mother asked.

Cato went over to unlock the door, and before he could move aside she had opened it and her gaze immediately landed upon me.

"Peeta, dear. I hadn't realized you stayed the night. I thought I heard you bring someone home, honey," Cato's mother stated, looking from me to him and back again.

"Yeah…Peeta wasn't feeling well and I thought he needed his rest, so I figured since our house was closer…" Cato trailed off. His mother was waving her hand back and forth in the air, attempting to silence him.

"There is no need to explain, Cato. I know what's going on here. Peeta's a very good-looking boy, but let's try and cover that mark up before he runs into your father. You know how he feels about…this" she said, motioning a finger between us.

I immediately jumped out of the bed and ran into the washroom to inspect the mark that she was rambling on about. Once I had a clear reflection in the mirror I let out a huge gasp.

"We didn't…I mean I don't know how this got here…I swear Mrs—" I stammered.

"Call me, Juliet, sweetie," she said, smiling. "Cato, I expect the both of you to be in attendance in the garden. Make sure you're all washed up…and lend Peeta something nice to wear," Cato's mother stated before turning to exit the room. She stopped after walking a few feet and turned back to look at me directly. "I have some cover-up in the bathroom at the other end of the hall. That should do the trick," she said, and then she was gone.

I stood there breathless and immobile for a minute or two before attempting to piece everything together. I sat down on the edge of the bed and my eyes were going back and forth, my mind racing. "What just happened?" I said, half-laughing and half-concerned.

"I forgot to tell you about my mother…" Cato said smugly. "She's known about my interest in you since the first time I had you over to study…" he added simply.

"I don't understand. Your parents knew you liked boys this entire time?" I asked. I started thinking back to the sleepovers; the late night drives; the parties; the breakfasts; and everything began to make sense. "Do any of the others know?" I inquired, confused still.

"Only my parents know. My dad isn't to keen on the idea, but he doesn't mind what he doesn't see behind closed doors. My mother is pretty cool about it, but she's very close-minded when it comes to her events. My parents are pretty high in the socialite scale, and they wouldn't want my 'attractions' to ruin their status. I wish they'd treat me like a son, rather than a piece in their social game. Did you know that my dad never once threw a football with me when I was young?" Cato said, and inquired all together.

"I'm starting to learn that I don't know that much about you at all," I said with a smirk. "But I kind of like this side of you, it's cute," I added, pressing my lips against his cheeks.

"Well, I don't want to keep secrets between us. Especially if we're going to be going on a date soon," he chuckled as he got up and started making his way to the shower. I was hit with the realization of my night affair with Finnick, and knew that I would have to tell him sooner or later. It had been causing me pain ever since. My train of thought was broken when Cato started speaking beside the bathroom door. "Will you be joining me in the shower?" Cato asked.

I turned to him with a startled gaze and flushed cheeks, but he began laughing and told me that he was only kidding around. I laughed along with him until the door shut, and then I dropped my head into the pillow and started screaming.

* * *

**Author's Note: I want to apologize for not uploading for 3 days or so. I try to do this during my down time, but things get hectic with university and work and friends, etc. I would have ended this chapter at the line break after Peeta's loss of consciousness, but decided that I would give you a taste of what is to come. This chapter is probably different than the others and you will probably notice that, but keep in mind that this is a Peeta/Cato story and Peeta's struggles with a new lifestyle – and the consequences associated with it. Enjoy! :)**

**P.S. Since I have not stated this in a while: I do not own any of the characters that are affiliated with The Hunger Games. It is a personal story that utilizes the characters names and descriptions in an alternate universe setting.**


	9. Revelations

**Chapter 9: Revelations**

* * *

For the second time that day, I was shocked into silence. I followed Cato downstairs, as they left the upstairs bedroom and went down the hall toward a spiraling staircase that led into the foyer. Cato took the first step, and then turned back to see me hesitating at the top of the stairs. For once, Cato just nodded reassuringly and said nothing. I smiled back and then straightened my spine and began walking down the stairs.

Cato had reached the bottom of the staircase and was patiently waiting for me to reach him. When I finally did we both stood at the opposite end of the long hallway that led to the patio doors through the kitchen, and ended in the massive expanse of garden. When we made our way to the door, I managed to look around at all the people who had gathered. Not only were Clove, Cashmere, and Gloss here with their families, but all the other neighbors on the block had congregated here as well. Each of the women in the garden were dressed in elegant dresses and I noticed that all of them had profoundly large hats that covered their faces from the blistering sun. The men, however, were dressed in anything from suits to fancy, cotton sweaters. I felt a little underdressed, but fortunately Cato and I had decided to match our outfits as closely as possible together.

I passed a glance beside me to where his brawn form stood, and took in the sight of his red and black fleece sweater with his tight-fitting black pants. I found the small details in his attire, noticing both his black watch and his ring, which sat on the middle finger of his left-hand. His shoes were the only part of his outfit that did not match the rest. Albeit formal in the remainder of his clothes, Cato had decided to wear matching burgundy and black high top sneakers. I, myself, wore a black funnel-neck sweater with a burgundy stripe on each set of arms, alongside black fitted pants and my own wore-down shoes. My shoes blended into my outfit perfectly, since they were black speed cat shoes, which contained a white liner around the base.

We had stood in the doorway for a minute or two before Cato beckoned for us to step outside and begin mingling with the others. I gulped nervously, but nodded my head in approval, as I set my first foot outside the door. The grass was significantly greener than that in the city, which suggested to me that it was either artificial or illegally fertilized. I continued to walk, trailing behind Cato, and passed glances left and right to take in the grandeur of the event. This was no ordinary brunch. _Heck, it probably cost more than my parents annual salary_, I thought to myself, but didn't dare to say it aloud. There was a large gazebo, which covered the glimmering food, and a river at the end of the yard that contained bobbing white lilies and a boat.

I snapped out of my gaze and focused on Cato, who'd been talking for who knew how long; I hadn't heard a single word make its way out of his mouth. I attempted a smile at the middle-aged couple, who were dressed in white. They returned their gaze with smiles, and then the man reached out to squeeze Cato's arm before they continued on to mingle with an elderly couple at the table next to us.

"Champagne?" a waiter asked as he made his way by me swiftly. I shook my head, but Cato had already managed to grab two glasses and handed one over to me.

"First rule about Sunday Brunch: always drink a glass of champagne," Cato stated. I thought he was joking around with me, but his gaze was serious and unfaltering. I nodded nervously, and took a small sip before shifting my gaze over to where a small crowd had gathered.

"What's going on over there?" I asked quickly, before taking another sip from the glass of champagne.

"Business," Cato stated simply. I could tell that he didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't push any further. Instead I smiled at him, and he motioned for us to make our way toward the gazebo. _Great, because I'm starving…_

We walked a couple paces across the yard before we came to the eastern side of the gazebo. It looked big from afar, but it was massive when you made your way over to it. I was awestruck, as I reached a hand out to feel the material lining the entrance. It was identical to a silk cloth, but firmer. Of course, as all things were, it was white.

I pulled my arm back when a lady passed by me with an over excessive amount of perfume clinging to her. It wafted into my nose, disorienting my senses for a few short instances. I was taken back when Cato turned and handed me a glass plate. Over the next few minutes we had picked out our favorites and made our way over to a private table, lined with white sheets and a single red rose. My plate was mostly filled with fruit, from strawberries to watermelon slices, along with a large waffle, toppled off with whipped cream and maple syrup.

I noticed that the cutlery was half-metal and half-glass, each with a distinctive sapphire embedded into its base. Even the napkins were exquisite as they were bound together by a family crest and silver tassels. I was truly entering into another world, one filled with crystal chandeliers, expensive jewelry, overpowering perfume and an excessive amount of money. I felt nauseous and my hands began shaking under the pressure, as another couple joined Cato and I at the table. I noticed the girl had a pearl necklace that was nothing but perfectly suited to her dress, and the man had a strong posture; they were watching us with intent eyes as the man began making conversation with Cato. We were joined next by Cato's mother and father, and I felt all control leave my body through exhalation.

"Tell us more about yourself, Peeta," Cato's father said, his gaze locked onto mine.

I was panicking under the pressure, and I could feel my cheeks becoming gradually warmer as a blush made its way onto my face. Thankfully, I felt a strong hand interlock itself with mine, each finger sliding slowly into the crevices between my own. I shifted my sights over to Cato who was looking at me encouragingly. When I leaned back to meet with Cato's parents' eyes to talk, I could see Juliet's eyes peering over the table at our arms. I knew that she noticed the action, and I could see in her eyes the slightest look of uneasiness, but mostly her expression was filled with delight.

* * *

The next morning, dawn had barely marked the sky before I began to pull myself from my sleep. It was the third or fourth time in the last week that I had trouble falling asleep, as my mind raced over that night with Finnick. I would always close my eyes, and just before sleep threatened to take over my body, I would recall Finnick's touch down my hip and I'd jump up with a startle, screaming and heaving for air.

I figured that I would eventually have to deal with everything, before things with Cato progressed any further. Considering yesterday's introduction to his parents and his upper-class society, I would need to do it quick, before I ruined any chances of continuing this 'relationship' with Cato.

I eagerly jumped into the shower, dressed, grabbed a bagel, and made my way out the door before my mom could volunteer to drive me on her day off. I revved the engine, and pulled out of the driveway in a flash.

When I finally reached the school after a long drive, I was thankful to see that Cato had already arrived and was making his way over to my car. I stayed put, and waited for him to join me, as he made his way into the passenger's seat.

"I missed you," Cato stated, and then his lips met mine passionately. It was a short kiss, considering Cato was wary about anyone catching a glimpse of the two of them together. There had already been talk about Peeta in his art class, so they did not want things to escalate any more while each tried to figure out what exactly it was that they shared.

"Not as much as I did," I responded, stealing another kiss, this time brushing my finger along his cheek and laying my other hand on his thigh. I could feel him tremble as I slowly moved my hands up and down, up and down, up and down. And just as Cato started motioning toward me, I broke the kiss with a teasing smile.

"You really know how to leave a guy hanging, you know?" Cato said mockingly.

"That's how I keep you wanting more," I replied with a wink. He smiled at me, before he grabbed my book bag from the back seat and we both exited the car.

When we reached the school doors, Cato handed me my book bag and gave me a flirtatious wink.

"I've got swimming practice all morning, so I'll catch you at lunch," he stated, before brushing his hand against my bicep as he began to walk off.

"Are spectators allowed?" I asked with a wink, as he shook his head with a low laugh and continued through the doors.

I laughed a little at my own reply, seriously considering sneaking in to see Cato in his blue speedo. It brought back the memory of our night at the school when he surprised me with a midnight swim, although unfortunately for me he had long swimming trunks at the time. Either way, Cato always captivated me. Every time I seen him it's like I'm seeing him for the first time all over again.

After a minute of standing there aimlessly laughing to myself, I decided that I mine as well make my way to class. I figured I would stop by and see how things were with Katniss and Gale, so I made a small detour toward Katniss' locker. I walked down the largely occupied hallway, and was cut-off several times when a cheerleader would jump out during a routine here and there. Besides that, I was passing the gymnasium, and several younger students were in the hallway throwing dodge balls at one another – which only made the trip more strenuous.

When I passed the gym and rounded the corner to the hallway that Katniss' locker was situated in, I felt a strong hand grab my arm, and the next thing I knew I was being dragged into an empty classroom. The door shut and the blind was pulled down before I had a chance to identify my captor. _If Cato thinks I'm going to do anything on campus than he's badly mistaken…_I thought. Unfortunately, that would have been a preferred situation to the one I was currently in, when I shifted my gaze up to see Finnick O'Dair.

"Hey there," Finnick smirked, his tone evidently flirtatious.

"What do you want?" I decided to ask. I figured I wouldn't waste any extra time with him than need be.

"That's no way to talk to your hero," Finnick started, clearly still hung up on the idea of saving me the night of Cato's party. "I just figured we could start back up where we left off," he added. He brought his arm up to brush my cheek, and I turned my face in disgust.

"I'm not into you, O'Dair. Get that in your head," I replied angrily.

"Didn't seem that way last weekend" Finnick stated, which only angered me further.

"Is sex the only thing on your mind?" I asked, sarcastically as well as furiously.

"Not always, unless I'm thinking about you," Finnick replied, giving me a slow wink and unmistakably sizing me up, as his gaze peered from my own downward.

"I like Cato, and only Cato. I still want to be friends with you, so can we please put this all behind us?" I asked, my tone a mixture between sadness and sympathy.

"I don't know if I can settle with being friends; it's either you tell your husky friend of yours that you and I shared more than just our time with one another, or you can continue what we have in secrecy," Finnick stated sternly.

"I don't like ultimatums, Finnick," I spat back.

"I don't really have a choice, do I? I was there, Peeta. Every time something happened, I was there for you. I still am here for you, but you don't notice that. You spend all your time with Cato that you don't even pay attention to who your real friends are…" Finnick started, before I cut him off quickly.

"Friends don't blackmail other friends," I interjected.

"If only you could see things from our point of view," Finnick stated somberly.

"'Ours'?" I inquired.

"Katniss, Gale, and myself. You've changed, Peeta. We've all noticed it. Get over yourself, you're nothing but a distraction for that kid," Finnick implied, with reference to Cato.

"I haven't changed whatsoever. Yes, I'll admit that I haven't spent much of my time recently with Katniss and Gale, but I've been busy," I tried to reason.

"Busy with your new 'friends'," Finnick said.

"I don't care for this conversation anymore. If you want to be friends, then by all means I agree. But I will not ruin things with Cato over a simple one-night stand," I said sternly.

"It'll happen again, I can promise you that," Finnick said coyly, trailing his fingers over my forearm sensually.

"God, why are you so obsessed with me?" I shouted, ripping my arm away from his reach. "You want me to tell Cato, then fine I will. He was bound to find out eventually. Until then, stay away from me," I stated, my voice now a scream.

"Now that, I can't promise," Finnick said with a smirk. I didn't bother to respond as I clasped the door handle, opened the door, and then slammed it shut with a vengeance. My blood was boiling as I tried to piece together all the events. I could hardly contain my anger, as I turned and punch a locker, physically indenting it. I would have to apologize to whoever's locker it was later, but for now my temper was fuelling and I could not bring myself to reason anymore.

I stomped down the hall in a rage, passing by Katniss and Gale as I did so, not bothering to acknowledge their calls at this moment. I broke through the set of doors at the end of the hall and worked my way to the other end of the school. My pace never faltered once. I continued at an unmistakably eager jog, not bothering to tell individuals in the hall to move out of my way. I recalled barreling through a crowd of cheerleaders and tossing one of their pompoms to the ground, which evoked several gasps and a loud cry from one of them.

When I reached the corner of the school on the other side, I pushed past the first set of doors, and then the second, and through the third. I rounded a few corners before I came face-to-face with a few half-naked guys. They looked up in confusion, not bothering to say anything as I made my way through the room until I reached Cato's locker. I knew exactly where it was from when he brought me swimming, and I located it before long. He had a hand in his locker fetching for his towel when his eyes locked onto mine. He could tell that something was wrong with me, as I started tearing up.

"Peeta? What are you doing in here? If coach sees you he'll be really upset…" he trailed off when he seen a tear or two fall down my cheek. "What's wrong? What happened?" he whispered, looking around him. A pair of guys who had been watching the events looked around nervously, before they rounded up most of the other swimmers and headed for the door. I waited for the swinging door to click into place to signal their exit, before I started speaking.

"I have to tell you something…" I mumbled.

"Anything," Cato replied. "Have a seat," he added, motioning to a bench that situated itself between the lockers.

I slowly pulled myself over to the bench and sat down, wiping away at the tears that stung my cheeks.

"I made a mistake…and I don't think you can forgive me," I said, this time gasping for air as I started crying more. I couldn't control my emotions, and usually would not cry at these sorts of things, but yet again I had never cheated on someone.

"You can tell me, I promise I won't be mad," Cato replied soothingly.

"I…I…I…Cato, I don't know how to say this. I've been trying to find the words," I said, upset with myself more than anything. I knew I was cheating him out of the truth, and I felt horrible about it.

"Just breathe with me," Cato said, drawing in a small breath of air and then exhaling slowly. He did this a few times, before he placed his hand on mine, slowly rubbing my sweaty palms.

"I…Finnick…Finnick and I…we…Finnick and I slept…together," I stuttered, a full flush of tears now pouring from my eyes.

Cato's hand stopped rubbing mine, and he drew it away slowly. When I looked into his eyes through the onslaught of tears, I noticed that he was looking around in confusion. His eyes swayed this way and that way, never settling on a single position for too long. He stood up next, and I tried to reach out to him, but he escaped my hand, and he started pacing back and forth.

"It happened when I seen you with Clove..." I started, regaining my voice. "That's no excuse, I know, but I was upset and hurt by what you did. I didn't know that you two hadn't done anything, since I didn't stay around for long enough to find out. Cato, I promise this will never happen again. It shouldn't have even happened in the first place, and I've regretted it ever since," I added.

"I'm going to kill him," I heard Cato say under his breath. He paced more furiously now, back and forth across the room as he stomped.

"Cato, that won't solve anything between us," I stated, looking to his face for some sort of reason. Instead, all I found was pain.

"Why him? Of all people, Peeta…why him?" Cato said. I had never seen him this upset, and I was sure I could spot a couple of tears in his blue eyes. His eyes seemed lost – distant - now as I looked into them.

"I would need louder speaking actions to be able to explain that to you, Cato," I replied solemnly. "He was there, when everything I thought I had was being taken from me in a moments notice. Like I said, I was upset…and it just happened," I added, unsure if I had conveyed any sort of sense whatsoever. "Please come sit down," I mentioned lastly.

"I can't, Peeta. I have to go, coach will be wondering where I am," Cato relied, beginning to walk away. I sprang up from the chair quicker than a jack-in-the-box, before reaching out for his arm.

He eagerly turned around, and this time I could see the tears slowly streaming down his cheek. It pushed me over the edge again, and I started crying all over again. I took his hand and placed it over my heart. "Feel my heartbeat," I said slowly.

He allowed his hand to rest in place. "It's beating like crazy," Cato said simply.

"Because I'm scared, Cato. I can't lose you. I won't lose you," I said honestly. I searched his eyes for any sort of recognition, but they were unreadable.

"Just give me time…please," Cato said, as he pulled his hand away from my chest. I exhaled as he did so, and when I breathed in all I could feel was the cold. It filled every crevice in my body, weaved its way through my ribcage, and travelled down to my toes.

"Promise me that you'll meet me tonight…the cottage?" I stated, unsure what sort of reply would follow. I watched as Cato exhaled too, but when he breathed in his pain seemed to dwindle microscopically.

"I promise," he said, and with that he was gone.

My muscles couldn't take the strain any longer, so I had to sit back down before risking collapse. I breathed in shallow breaths and exhaled slowly. With every breath I would think back to the special moments between Cato and I, and as I exhaled I pictured them being taken away from me. I knew I couldn't go to class after this, so after about half an hour, I made my way to my car and drove off anxiously.

* * *

I received several texts while I waited at the cottage for the school day to end. I recalled Katniss messaging me, wondering what had happened this morning and why I was not in art class this morning. Gale had even bothered to ask me why I missed mathematics this morning as well. The only text message I bothered to reply too was Cato's at lunch, when he couldn't find me in the cafeteria. I had told him that I went home since I wasn't feeling well, realizing that any white lie now would be minute.

I had waited for countless hours, checking the clock in the kitchen nearly every five minutes or so, hoping that the day would go by quicker. Eventually the school day ended, and I was left to wait for Cato who had mentioned something about going home first, before he would meet me after supper. I continued the charade, stating that it'd be better that way since my parents had not seen me much the day before.

When supper did roll around, I checked the fridge and was pleasantly surprised to find battered haddock in the freezer. I decided I would cook that along with a fresh green salad, topped over with Caesar dressing and croutons.

It was nearly half an hour later when I started digging into the food, which tasted amazing against my growling stomach. I looked up to the clock when I started, to see that it was 6:04pm. By the time I had finished eating and set the plate and bowl into the dishwasher, it was just a little after 6:30pm.

I decided to grab my English textbook from my book bag and to sit by the fireplace to read. I read for quite a while, not noticing how late it had become. I squinted my eyes to try and make out the clock in the kitchen. I was unsure if it was an eight or nine on the digital display. Throwing the book down on the ground, I walked over. I gasped when I noticed it was 9:42pm. _Had I really been reading for that long?_ I asked myself.

I checked my phone and noticed that there were no unread messages. I was stunned again by this realization. I decided that I would send a message to Cato to see what had taken him so long. I sat back down and started to wait. Minutes flew by; half an hour, an hour, two hours. I checked the clock one last time to see that it was 11:51pm.

It did not hit me until then that Cato was not coming, nor did he plan too originally. That explained why he hadn't answered my message. I shook myself violently, telling myself that I deserved this. I knew it was my fault, and I could not blame him. It only made my heart ache as I grabbed my jacket and my keys, along with my book bag, and took a final glance at the cottage. I knew for certain that I would not be returning.

I closed the door behind me, and turned to lock it. After doing so I planted the key under the mat, which was very picturesque of any childhood movie I had ever seen. I breathed in the chilly night air, and started for the car. When I started walking along the driveway, I noticed a flash of lights and immediately I felt myself overcome with happiness. It didn't last long, as I realized the car had mistaken the lane for another, and before long the car reversed and was gone before I could even feel the pain set in for a second time tonight.

I was now anxious to get home and confine myself to my room, having had a very long day waiting around for something that would not come. I slammed the door of the car behind me, put the key in the ignition and put the car into reverse. I breathed a heavy sigh and then pulled the car out off the driveway and onto the pavement of the winding road.

The ride home seemed to take forever. I did not bother to turn on the radio, because I didn't want to hear any music that my relate to my situation – which would only make me feel worse. It was too dark tonight to take in the sight of the evergreens and the large expanse of water on the opposing side, so I related to keeping focused on the task at hand. I had had to turn on my high beams since the road was barely visible. It wasn't overly hard to drive through the fog and the darkness, considering I had to do so many times before.

When I finally reached the house, I quickly pulled into the driveway and, locking the car, made my way inside. The whole street was illuminated by street lamps, which made the porch staircase easily accessible on my way in. When I finally opened the door and felt the warmth of the heat on my skin, I immediately breathed another sigh of relief. It was especially cold tonight, which was unusual for this time of year, although the cold never truly bothered me. I just preferred palm trees and the feeling of warm sand through my toes, that's all.

When I rounded the corner to put the keys on the key holder, I noticed a commotion in the living room. I decided to investigate what all the chatter was about, assuming my parents had company of some sorts. When I did so, the floorboard creaked, which alerted the others to my presence. I heard a scream of relief and then my mother's arms were around me. I could feel her crying, and I immediately pulled myself back from her.

"What's going on? Is Dad alright?" I asked, worried.

I noticed movement in the corner of my eye, and was breathless when I seen Katniss and Gale making their way over to me. Gale immediately pulled me into a large embrace and was whispering words of happiness in my ear. I still didn't understand what was going on, until I caught a glimpse of pain and fear in Katniss' eyes.

"Seriously. What's going on? Why is everyone here?" I repeated, this time more sternly than the last.

"Peeta…" Katniss began, looking to Gale for comfort. "It's Cato…he was in an accident…I'm sorry," she said solemnly and slowly, her voice hardly audible out of sheer pressure. Everything was spinning. It was like slow motion; standing there breathless.

"He's being prepped for surgery now…Peeta, it's bad—" Gale started, but I didn't stand around to hear the rest.

I was already out the door; the car already started as the engine roared to life in an instant; wheels screeching out into the night's stillness.

* * *

**Author's Note: Here's the next installment! Hope you guys like it! Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to get another one out over the weekend – depends if I work on my day off from classes or not. Enjoy :) (Thanks for your patience!) ~ B****  
**


	10. Trepidation

**Chapter 10: Trepidation**

* * *

The hospital doors opened automatically as I rushed through the double set of doors, located along the east bank of the parking lot. The east wing was flush with white lights that illuminated the hallway. I could see beds that lined the walls, nurses rushing throughout a multitude of rooms and off-shoot halls; finally my eyes situated themselves on a lady, who was sitting behind a large white desk, peering at me intently. She had a nice white smile and her hair was as brown as bark, as it caressed her cheek in large curls. I could see the faint color of caramel intertwined within the dark locks, which further complimented her dazzling hazel eyes.

I walked over to the desk slowly, passing a glance down each hallway, hoping frantically to get a glimpse of Cato's family, which I presumed would be the first to arrive after the accident. My mind was racing and my steps were laced with nerves; my hands shook under the strain and my eyes were burning with anxiety. When I finally reached the desk, I could see that there were several charts and binders that lined the bookshelf behind, along with several expensive-looking computers. Each computer had an attendant, all of whom dressed in plain scrubs in a variety of different shades. When I caught the attendant before me peering at me inquisitively, as she passed a glance up and down to surely assess any possible injuries, I began to mumble.

"I'm looking for a blonde boy, who came in suffering injuries from a car accident," I stated nervously, the words catching themselves with each breath. I watched as she surveyed the charts before her, passing a finger across a patterned sheet. She then turned to the computer before her and clicked the small white mouse several times, before typing a couple words.

"Are you family?" she asked, never once passing a glance upwards toward me. She continued to search through innumerable pages on her desk and continuing to click with the mouse every few moments.

"No, he's…he's a friend," I said, searching for the right words. I thought it best if I simplified things for her by stating only that we were friends.

"The records say that he is currently in surgery, dear. If you'd like to take a seat down the hall and to your left, I can have someone notify you when he is allowed visitors, if all goes well. Unfortunately, I cannot disclose any information about his progress considering you are not family. I'm sure you can understand," she said. I was truly upset by this information, but I knew that any protest would not help Cato's case. I nodded at her, managed a small thanks, and then proceeded down the hall.

As I proceeded to the waiting area, I could hear the low moaning of patients in their rooms, suffering in pain from an innumerable amount of cases. I tried to drown out the cries of pain by preoccupying my time by sending word to my parents about my disappearance. I sent the message quickly, before picking up my pace as I finally rounded the corner.

I was immediately struck by the amount of people in the waiting area for this time of night, let alone the sight of Gloss, Cashmere, Clove, Glimmer and Marvel. I walked over to them nervously, and was struck with relief when they turned to meet my gaze. Cashmere was the first to shriek, before she kicked off her high heels and ran over to me. She nearly plummeted to the two of us to the floor as she bounded into me with a large embrace. It felt nice to have her arms around me, and I did the same to her.

"We were so worried about you," she whispered, not bothering to let go. Our embrace was broken when Gloss made his way over followed by the others. He gave me a small prod on the shoulder and a reassuring nod, which I knew was his way of expressing his relief. One by one the others spoke their words of relief, before we made our way to a small seating area in the corner of the room.

The room was fairly large, and it had an impressive aquarium in the middle of the room. There were a select few elderly patients that were wheeled out to watch the fish sway back and forth through the coral yard. I smiled when an older lady, with a frail figure and terrible posture was wheeled out to the aquarium to watch the fish. She placed her hand against the glass instinctively, and through her pain she managed a smile that was enough to light up the entire room. I brought my attention back to the others as I watched them whisper among each other, all their faces lined with worry and fatigue. It hit me then how tired I had become over the last few hours, suffering from this dramatic turn of events only furthered the fatigue that threatened to overcome my body at any moment. I decided to ask the others what they knew of the accident, in order to sustain my consciousness; anything to keep me from going insane in worry.

"I heard that the car is totally destroyed," Cashmere said. Her tone was different from her usual perkiness. It was severely more distressed and it cracked between words.

"Marvel was saying that it was found in a ditch," Clove added. We all turned our attention to Marvel, who was currently looking at the bleak floor intently.

"Marvel?" Gloss asked, trying to get through to the slender boy who was completely distant. His eyes seemed to hang low and I noticed that he hardly blinked as he began to talk.

"The damage is apparently excessive, at least that's what my parents say. Cato's parents called mine as they raced over here. All I know is that the car had trailed off from the road and into a tree near the old marina," Marvel said sullenly. His voice mimicked Cashmere's, distressed and painful.

"Where are Cato's parents now?" Clove asked, breaking the silence after Marvel's admission.

"Last I heard they'd gone into the waiting room in the west wing, near the ER," Gloss stated. We all nodded and then resulted back to silence once again.

It was nearly three hours before a petite woman in purple scrubs with long blonde hair came into the waiting room to notify us that Cato had been taken to a room in the northern wing. She gave all of us a sympathetic smile, before shuffling back down the hall she had come from. Each of us passed a glance toward one another before we managed to set afoot toward the northern wing. It was a fairly large hospital, and thus the northern side of the building was quite the distance from where we sat in the eastern waiting room. Our pace was fairly slow and nobody bothered to make conversation during the journey, apart from Cashmere and Gloss who whispered back and forth throughout the night.

When we rounded the last corner, I had to control my breathing, which had uncontrollably become more rapid over the past few minutes. When we finally reached the room, the majority of the group peered in to see that Cato's parents had already positioned themselves around the bed. When the two adults caught sight of us through the glass, Juliet whispered something to Cato's father. He made his way to the door, opened it swiftly, and shut it behind him.

"Thank you for coming. It means a lot to us during this time, and I'm sure Cato would be thrilled to know that you all came to support his recovery. Unfortunately, it'd be best for him if he had some rest. I can let him know that you all were here, but would you all mind coming back in the morning? I'm sure you're all exhausted," He stated. His voice was somber and worn down, but he managed his best to look appreciative of our visit.

Cashmere and Gloss were the first to issue their goodbyes to everyone, before they trudged down the hall. Marvel followed in suit, along with Clove a few metres behind. I was the last to start off toward the eastern wing, when Cato's father called out to me. When I turned, he was waving me back with a strong hand.

"Juliet and I are going to go home to grab some supplies for Cato. She thinks it would be best if you stayed with Cato for the night…that is if you don't mind?" He said, his voice more calm and steady this time around.

I couldn't vocalize any words of appreciation, so I just nodded with a smile before making my way to the door. Just as I was about to step into the room, a hand came down on my shoulder slowly.

"Remember that he needs his rest, Peeta," Cato's father reiterated again. He expressed a vague smile, which held a grand worry underneath it. I nodded once more, before making my way into the room with only a few short steps.

I noticed that the walls of the room were mostly white. There was a separate ceiling board that held with it an exquisite array of pot lights. The room had hardwood flooring, and a hardwood backwash on the wall behind the bed. The wall facing the other side of the room was made-up of glass, which revealed a beautiful landscape beyond it, though currently masked over by brown curtains. There was a burgundy couch with beige pillows and a beige throw, which matched the large bed in the middle of the room. My focus now rest on the form under the burgundy sheets, golden-blonde hair signaling that it was Cato. I began making my way over to the bed, before a figure shifting on the other side of the room captured my attention.

I had hardly noticed Cato's mother, Juliet, as she gathered the bag of Cato's supplies presumably found at the accident and placed them into her purse. She was beside the couch, frantically shoving multiple items into the designer bag. She managed to take hold of a small cylindrical object, which I recognized to be an overwhelmingly expensive lipstick. She applied the rosy pink gloss to her lips as she rounded to meet sights with me. She smiled as she twisted the cap back onto the lipstick and started across the room. I was surprised when she pulled me into an embrace, which was over as quickly as it began.

"He's very tired, honey. Doctor's say that he will make a full recovery," she stated simply. She looked completely exhausted as she spoke, but she was putting on a brave face for me, which earned my undivided respect. "Also, I had a favor to ask from you," she started, before reaching back into her purse to grab another object. "Many friends have sent Cato messages and they're wondering about his progress. I was wondering if you could contact them on Cato's behalf?" she asked. I was surprised by this request but I knew that I could not say no to her request.

"Absolutely, it would be my pleasure," I said, formally speaking.

Juliet started for the door, before halting in her tracks. "Make sure they know that he'll still be attending the brunch this weekend," she commented, before removing herself from the room. All the gratitude and admiration I had for her had washed away after her statement. I was speechless by her ability to consider the public eye before the well being of her son. I shook my head in disappointment, before walking over to Cato's bedside.

I pulled a chair from the corner of the room so that I would be able to sit beside him. It was a fairly intricate chair, woven with artistic branches throughout the backside, which ran down to caress the wooden legs. I made sure to carry the chair over in order to keep silent – I did not want to wake him while he tried to rest. When I sat down, I could hardly disregard the look of serenity in his face. The covers fit loosely on his shoulders, where his head protruded from the red sheets. His face had a few small cuts along his cheeks, and another more noticeable gash over his eyebrow. Fortunately they did not take away from his dashing looks. Ironically, they made his features all the more dark and brooding.

I quickly interlocked my left hand with his own, before reaching down to the phone in my lap. I immediately began responding to messages. There must have been at least fifty or more on his phone, which made it hard to respond to each and every message using only one hand. But I had all night, which meant that this would keep me preoccupied for a little while.

I set Cato's phone down on the dresser beside the bed, when I finally finished sending out the replies. I was overcome with fatigue and exhaustion, and my right hand was throbbing in pain from the weight of the phone and the countless movements along the touch screen phone. I passed a glance up to see that Cato remained asleep, not having moved once during his slumber. I tossed a glance at the clock on the dresser to register how late – or early – it had become. I rested my head on the side of his bed, reaching my other hand up toward the other, before cupping his single-hand with both my own. I allowed my eyes to close for a split second, which was enough to allow the nights exhaustion and my sudden weakness to consume me in a shroud of darkness.

* * *

My eyes shot open in a moments notice. I was breathing short, heavy breaths as I attempted to gasp for air. Beads of sweat ran down my face from my hairline. I looked around the room with wide eyes, panicked. I felt my hands tense, before I felt the cool skin of Cato's hand against my own blistering touch. My breathing became shallower and I began to calm down when I realized that Cato and I were together, in the hospital. My nightmare was over, and I was thankful for the relief of Cato's beeping monitor signaling that his heart was beating as steady as ever.

I wiped the sweat from my head, and reached over slowly to grab Cato's phone by his bedside. There were only a few emails from clothing companies that he had subscribed to, alongside a couple messages from family and friends. Most were replies to my earlier update, thankful that I had sent them some sort of reassurance during the night. Other messages were from unknowing team members who were concerned about his whereabouts, considering the early practice this morning. When I finally checked the clock on the wall, I noticed that I had slept for only five hours, and it was now nine in the morning.

The shuffling of footsteps at the doorstep took me from my thoughts, and I looked up to see that Cato's parents had arrived.

"Glad to see that you're awake," Cato's father confessed.

"Royal and I stopped by earlier to check-in, and we seen that you had fallen asleep next to him. We didn't want to disturb you, so we went and bought some coffee down the street. That reminds me, here's yours," Juliet stated. She reached for the tray of coffee in her husband's hands, and searching for the right one, lifted a large paper cup from it. Her high heels clicked against the hardwood floor as she eagerly walked over to me. I reached out a hand to accept the coffee and issued a small 'thank you' in her general direction.

"We assumed that you wouldn't be attending school today, and don't worry about Juliet or I saying anything to your parents about attendance," Royal stated. It was really weird for me to refer to them by their first names, but it was gradually growing on me lately. "Why don't you get yourself cleaned up?" Royal suggested. "We'll let you know if anything changes while you're gone," he added lastly.

I smiled in return, before pulling myself from the bed. I was unsure if either noticed our hands interlocking with one another, but I managed to disregard the thought as I started out the door and down the hall. I raced to my car in the parking lot, which was situated as close to the doors as possible. It wasn't long before the car roared to life and I was zipping out of the parking lot, not bothering to wave at Gloss and the others who were starting for the doors eagerly.

The ride home was fairly quick, considering I took the shortest route and the fog from the night before had dwindled away throughout the morning. When I reached the house, I turned the car off quickly, opened the door, and raced for the steps. I noticed that Gale's car was still in the parking lot, but I didn't bother to check the living room as I marched up the stairs toward the bedroom without a second glance over the railing.

I grabbed a quick outfit from my dresser, which consisted of a tight, black, v-neck t-shirt with red stripes on the sleeves along with a pair of skinny black jeans and a matching red belt. I heard shuffling downstairs but I barreled for the bathroom, slamming the door behind me as I heard talking in my bedroom down the hall. The hot water felt amazing against my skin. It arched down my back from my shoulders, and dripped over my tailbone before slim-lining down to the base of the bathtub. When I tilted my head back into the water, it felt like the warm summer breeze shooting through my dirty blonde locks. I didn't bother to enjoy the warmth of the shower for long, considering my mind kept racing back to Cato. _Would he wake up soon? Was he already awake?_ I kept asking myself.

When I managed to pull myself from the warm water, dry myself with a blue towel, and gather my clothes to get dressed, I noticed movement outside the door. I quickly ran some hair wax through my hair, before opening the door to see Katniss and Gale.

"Hey! How's Cato doing?" Katniss asked, before Gale spoke over her.

"We thought you might stay the night. We were just heading over there now to meet you…before you stomped through the door like you were on a mission," Gale stated.

"In a hurry to get back," I said quickly, gathering my old clothes from the floor and pushing my way past them.

"Do you mind if we come back with you?" Katniss asked, her voice ringing out in the distance as I threw the clothes in the basket in my closet.

"Whatever you want to do," I replied simply. I pushed past them a second time, before heading down the stairs. Katniss and Gale quickly followed in suit. When I reached the front counter, I grabbed a freshly made pastry for myself and grabbed Tupperware to store some peanut butter triple layered cake in it – which I would bring to Cato for dessert. I grabbed some fruit and a few other healthy choices, along with a sandwich and added them to a separate container. "See you guys at the hospital!" I called out, slamming the door behind me.

The ride back to the hospital was just as quick as the ride home. Unfortunately my parking spot was occupied when I reached the parking lot, so I had to park a few sections down, which required quite a lengthy walk to the front doors. It took me a few minutes before I finally reached the northern wing, where I recalled that Cato's room was located there. When I rounded the corner, I nearly dropped the food in my hands in a fury.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I yelled, which caused a few panicked glances from medical staff.

I watched as Finnick closed the distance between us. He took the Tupperware from my hands, and passed them over to Cashmere.

"That's not for you!" I shouted, this time cut-off by Finnick's force. He pushed me consistently, as I almost lost my footing several times. I went to speak again, but he rounded the corner with me and the next I knew we were alone in an empty room. The door closed with a loud slam that echoed across the empty room.

"I heard about the accident, and I came to make sure that you were all right," Finnick whispered. His eyes were filled with compassion and worry. His expression still contained that superb jawline, which currently flowed smoothly into his rosy lips.

"Really?" I asked, curiously. "You're not here to cause anymore drama? Because as I see it, Cato really doesn't want to see you," I added.

"Really," Finnick responded. "And I don't want there to be conflict between us. I really just wanted to make sure that you were okay…" Finnick's voice trailed off.

As if instinctively, I started to sob uncontrollably. I felt Finnick's arms rap themselves around me, and I allowed my hands to clasp his back. I had been containing all this emotion for the past few weeks. What had started out as guilt had turned into confusion and fear since last night's events. I finally knew that it was time to let go of all the pain that was wrenching itself over my mind and allow myself to feel sadness. Finnick whispered reassurance into my ear as I continued to sob. My body was heaving uncontrollably and my hands were shaking against his shirt. I felt my hands perspiring and I knew that he would be able to feel it through his shirt, which couldn't disgust me in the moment considering how upset I currently am.

All of the sadness came to an end when Cato's mother, Juliet opened the door to see Finnick and I embracing, tears pooling down my face.

"Cato just woke up. He's asking for you," Juliet said, smiling. Her face was filled with relief and happiness, which overwhelmed my sadness with hope.

I pulled myself from Finnick's arms and raced for the door. Before I would pull myself into the hall, I took a glance back to where Finnick was sitting.

"Thank you, Finnick. Thank you," I said, and he shifted his gaze toward me and managed a small smile. I knew how he felt, and he respected how I felt. _Things will get better_, I said to myself.

I rounded the hallway and crossed past the multitude of beds that lined the hallway until I closed in on the room. Cashmere, Gloss, Marvel, Glimmer and Clove were in the hall before being joined by Juliet and Royal. When I reached the room, Cashmere passed me the Tupperware container of food containing all the variety of delicacies. I smiled at them, before opening the door and walking slowly into the room. The door slowly skidded to a close as I passed a glance back to see all the others heading down the hall, presumably to the cafeteria. It was just about noon now, so surely it would be filled with patients and family all around.

I shook myself from my thoughts as I closed the distance between Cato's bedside and myself. He was watching football on the television next to him, which made me feel better.

"Don't even think about getting back into football right now," I said sarcastically. Both of us knew that with his injuries he would need to miss a few games, but with a quick recovery he could partake in the capitol game in a few weeks time.

"You sound like my mother," Cato chimed back jokingly. His cuts on his face didn't look that much better than the night before, but his smile added a tinge of gleam to the painful expression.

"Did I just get family-zoned?" I asked with a low chuckle.

"Is that your attempt at the friend-zone concept?" Cato replied, laughing alongside me. He cringed a little as he held his side, where he had fractured a few ribs.

"I come bearing gifts," I said next, hoping to bring some joy to the tension between us. I still hadn't received an answer about things between us and the incident with Finnick.

"Must be my lucky day," Cato replied with a grin.

I rounded his bedside, where the chair I had slept in the previous night still lay against his bed. I sat down with a heavy force, before slowly removing the lids from the Tupperware containers.

"Smells amazing," Cato stated, wafting his hand in front of his nose as he inhaled the scent of all the delicious treats I had brought for him.

"I have a sandwich, a whole bunch of different fruits – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, watermelon – a little bit of coleslaw and an irresistible cake for dessert," I said. His expression lit up at the thought of cake, which made me smile and shake my head.

"You're amazing, you know that right?" Cato whispered. The statement took me off-guard, and I immediately blushed a bright red color – which nearly matched his bed sheets. I had to finally accept the compliment after a series of replies from both parties, which brought a smile to my face. _I could never win with this boy_, I thought to myself.

"Here, take a bit of this," I said.

"Dessert before the meal?" Cato inquired, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Always. Now stop talking and take a bite, you'll love it," I replied. I brought the fork up to his mouth, where he slowly placed his teeth along the metal and seductively pulled the peanut butter and chocolate explosion into his mouth. His eyes rolled back as he closed them, and he expressed a low moan at the taste.

"You're going to make me lose my abs if you keep this up while I sit in this bed for the next few days," Cato smirked. His eyes were gleaming as the sun through the window laced against them.

"Not the best version of a date that I was imagining," I started, "but I'm glad that you like the food." I smiled as I averted my gaze in obvious shame. I felt responsible for his accident. If I had not slept with Finnick this would not have happened in the first place. I wouldn't have had to invite him to meet me on a foggy night and we wouldn't be here right now. But I had to face the guilt head-on this time. I couldn't keep avoiding it any longer, or else it would tear away at everything good in my life.

My train of thought was interrupted when Cato trailed his hand over to rest on mine. I looked up to see him looking at me with glimmering blue eyes that held no accusation, but only the sweet look of happiness and tenderness.

"It's perfect," Cato replied, and everything else drowned out. It was just Cato and I…together. Nothing else mattered; all the worries we had could wait for another day. Until then everything would be perfect. Because as long as we're together, nothing could take this moment away from us.

* * *

**Author's Note: Voila! The next chapter! This one may be a bit of a downer compared to the others, but take everything in stride and remember to cherish every moment. I know the last chapter was a major cliffhanger so I decided to keep things relatively "calm" in this chapter…for now. ~ B**


	11. Vulnerable

**Chapter 11: Vulnerable**

* * *

"You look great," Cato whispered passionately, his eyes traveling up and down my figure, inspecting every inch of my body.

"Well, I don't feel great," I replied stubbornly. "Besides, I don't want to push you. You've only been out of the hospital for a week now," I added. Cato had been allowed to return home after all the follow-up inspections were done, but his doctors had suggested that he take things slowly while he recovered. His parents made sure that he did not go to school this week nor was he allowed to attend practice, above all else. From what I knew of Cato, he wasn't one to sit around during his spare time. I knew this dramatic change would be hard on him, but I also wanted to get him out of the house for the night. _The date was his idea, after all_, I mumbled to myself.

"The doctors said to take things easy, not to be bedbound," Cato scoffed lightly. I noticed that signature gleam in his eyes, which held no pain or suffering as he smiled at me with pearly white teeth and outstretched his hand to me. "It's just a fancy dinner, and then I promise you can take me home," he pleaded, his expression still gleaming sarcastically.

"You're so stubborn," I said with laughter, outstretching my hand to meet with his. His hands were cold to the touch, which felt great under the blistering heat that Panem City had been subject to over the past week. However, the coldness was alarming to my senses. Not that it crossed my mind medically speaking, but it signaled to me that he was nervous, which only made my stomach flutter.

"That's my middle name," Cato joked sarcastically, before guiding me down the stairs. I held onto the black railing with my right hand to steady myself. The railing was made up of steel, which held intertwining vines that erupted into tiny blossoming rose buds. The railing was warm against my skin, sending a tingling sensation down my spine as the cool touch of Cato's skin met with the simmering steel.

Cato was dressed in a plain black t-shirt and blue dark-wash jeans. Simplicity was Cato's greatest style sense, which allowed him to throw on any piece of clothing he owned to create a seamlessly breathtaking flair. I had spent two hours preparing for tonight's supper, which was horrible considering that Cato had probably spent two minutes. In contrast to Cato's attire, I wore black slim jeans, a thin funnel-neck t-shirt and matching grey flip-flops. It was fairly hot, but I knew we would be sitting in an air-conditioned building, so I prepared for the drastic change of climate.

When we reached Cato's car, I realized that he had borrowed his dad's red SRT viper. It surprised me that Royal would allow Cato to drive his most precious item, but more so that Cato had gone to such lengths in the first place.

"New ride?" I asked inquisitively, a smile gleaming all over my expression.

"Surprised you noticed," Cato said, winking back at me. He removed his hand from mine as he started toward the driver's side. I flicker of pain shot through me as I yearned for his touch.

I gave him a smirk and shook my head as I opened the door and sat down onto the warm leather seats. I took the seat belt and with a click it secured itself around my chest. I felt a cool hand work its way through my fingers in my left hand, and I looked over to see that Cato had one hand on the wheel and one clasping my hand. I smiled at him, before the car roared to life and we started on the busy streets.

I was originally worried about Cato driving tonight, fearful that if his injuries began acting up again that he might lose control of the car. He also tended to drive very quickly, which made me nervous in the first place, but I had recently become accustomed to the speed. In fact, I enjoyed the rush of adrenaline as the street lights raced by and the wind worked its way through my hair. He drove slower tonight, settling on driving under the speed limit. He passed a glance here and there in my direction with a smile, but I could see a flicker of edginess when he turned back to the road.

Cato hadn't mentioned much about the night of the accident while he was at the hospital. He only mentioned that the thick fog that had rolled its way onto the pavement made the winding roads impossible to navigate – which resulted in losing control of the car. The car was irreparable, but that didn't matter to Cato or his family. Royal had purchased a new car for Cato within a matter of days after the accident – a deep blue color, of course.

I tightened my grip on Cato's hand reassuringly and he passed me another glance. This time I could see no anxiety or tension, only the sweetness of his ocean blue eyes rocking in time with the wind blowing its way through his hair. I could see a few beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but I was sure that it was only result of the simmering heat wave. I had to wipe away at my own brow a few times to clear the forming water from rushing down.

It wasn't long until Cato pulled into the parking lot of one of the most expensive restaurants in town. It was a fairly large restaurant, with a dock for boaters to pull up for a meal, as well as a patio on the top floor. The patio had a large bar that had an influx of lights protruding from its base under the night's darkness. It casted a glare on the water, which made the waters surface resemble a mirror of sorts.

Cato made sure to place a reservation, and thus when we arrived at the front counter, it was only a matter of time before we were easily escorted to our table. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Cato had booked table on the balcony upstairs. It was large booth with a view of the ocean beside us on one-side and the service bar on the other.

"I see you didn't hold back for tonight," I stated in question, but with a smile unwillingly forming itself on my lips.

"I just wanted it to be special," Cato replied, which immediately sealed the deal for me. I knew that Cato was going to unlike any of the other boys I had gone on dates with. He genuinely cared about what I wanted and went above those expectations with an air of sweetness. "If I'm being honest, I don't really do this kind of thing. This is actually my first time…" Cato said trailing off.

"With a boy?" I finished for him, and he gave me an embarrassed smile while his rosy cheeks flushed red. "You're doing great so far. Nothing I could have imagined would have surpassed this, Cato…thank you," I added. He seemed to relax almost instantaneously at the calming words, before the waiter came to take our orders only seconds later.

When the waiter had taken both our orders and went back to the kitchen, I was taken aback when another waiter came to our table to place a glass of champagne in a bucket of ice on the table. "On the house for you two fine gentlemen," he had stated before nodding at us and walking away.

"Not like you couldn't have afforded it with your father's MasterCard," I joked. Both of us began laughing, before Cato composed himself and replied:

"It's actually all out of my pocket tonight."

"No, I can't do that to you. I'd prefer if we both split the bill. It would make me-" I started, before Cato's hand came down on top of mine, silencing me immediately.

"Peeta. I want to do this. I want you to have everything you've ever dreamed of," Cato replied. He smiled at me, both pleading and reassuring. His index finger trailed circles round and round over the back of my palm as he spoke. I blushed a rosy red color, and had to avoid his eyes before the waterworks began again. Cato had a way of bringing out every potential emotion in my body.

I went to lean across the table to plant a small kiss on his lips when the waiter returned with our meals. It was the fastest service I had ever had at any restaurant before, which evidently meant that it was far more expensive than I could afford. We exchanged a small look of delight, before we dove into our plates and began devouring the food before us. We swapped words here and there, mostly about family and post-education, including a few conversations about Marvel and the others.

And everything was perfect. It brought my mind back to the hospital when it was just Cato and I and nothing else had mattered. But this was special; it was the first time that Cato and I had gone out publicly. Even in our private little corner, it was enough to exceed each and every expectation I had thought of beforehand. This was a big step for Cato, and right now, in this moment, he was hitting it out of the park.

* * *

Cato finally returned to school this week, only two days after our dinner together. The school was pretty hectic this time of year when the first term tests were taking place, though luckily I only had one today and would be free for the rest of the week. Cato was even luckier, as he was excused from writing his tests due to his doctor's note.

We were in mathematics this morning with Mr. Beetee, and all I could concentrate on was the memory of our date together. It was exceptional. Even now sitting beside him I could smell the scent of his cologne, which wafted through the air like a summer breeze, bringing with it the memory of our passionate kiss as he dropped me off at home. I recalled his nervousness as we both exchanged our goodbyes. It was unusual considering we had kissed a few times beforehand, but I understand that this particular kiss had more meaning attached to it. He began to walk away as I started to fumble with my keys. It was only when I managed to start turning the doorknob that he called back over to me. I remembered turning to meet with the crash of his lips against mine, which sent my stomach fluttering with butterflies and my mind racing. His lips were strong and yet vulnerable. He pulled away shortly after, but I swung my arm around the back of his neck to bring him back down to my lips once more. This time I allowed for him to take advantage of my own vulnerability; allowing him to feel around under my shirt as his tongue passed through my lips, deepening our embrace.

"Mr. Mellark?" Mr. Beetee called out. I snapped out of my recollection to see the entire class looking at me intently.

"Sorry what was the question?" I responded, cheeks flushing a bright red. I passed a small glance at Cato who was chuckling into the neck of his shirt.

"How would you finish the equation on the board? Would it be a positive or a negative interval?" Mr. Beetee reiterated for the second or third time.

"Positive," I responded, hopeful that I would be right to save myself any further embarrassment.

"That's absolutely correct! Try and pay closer attention next time though, Peeta," Mr. Beetee responded.

I smiled at him and sunk lower in my chair out of sheer embarrassment. I didn't even want to pass another glance back at Cato, who I could still hear chuckling beside me. _He's really enjoying this_, I mumbled to myself.

When class finally ended, I quickly scooped my book bag from the floor and started for my locker. I would quickly drop off my things before meeting up with Cato again sooner or later. I passed by Katniss and Gale, and decided that I'd better say hello to them.

"Hey, how's it going?" I asked, taking a few paces toward them.

"These term papers are going to drive me insane!" Katniss stated first, her eyes frantic as she pulled at her hair imaginatively.

"Clearly things have been better, but I can't complain myself," Gale responded. I took notice that his hair was different today, and made a small motion to his spiked up locks. "Trying something new," he added embarrassed.

"It looks good. As for you, Katniss, I'm sure you'll pull through it," I reassured them. They both gave me courteous smiles, and I took the chance to bring up another topic. "Have any of you seen Finnick lately?" I asked.

"Not since last week," Katniss responded first.

"Actually I did see him this morning in woodshop," Gale responded next.

"He's here?" I inquired again, not quite understanding Gale's first statement.

"Yeah, and he looks like he's been through the washer a couple of times. That or he's been really suffering from a lack of sleep," Gale replied. His tone was worried but also spiteful. I had told them about what had happened that night with Finnick after Cato's party, and ever since Katniss and Gale had been awkward around both Finnick and myself. _At least they were socializing with me today_, I thought.

"Thanks for the information, I'll take note next time I see him. Anyways, I have to meet Cato and the others for lunch," I started as I looked at my watch for the time. "Actually, I'm already late. Catch you both later?" I added.

Both Katniss and Gale responded with an "absolutely" simultaneously, before I smiled and walked off.

I quickly made my way to my locker before discarding my book bag and my math textbook. I quickly spun the look and slammed the door shut. I started down the hall eagerly, making a left and fleeing down the stairs. When I rounded the corner, I noticed the excessive amount of people filing into the cafeteria below. I managed to scoot by a few people before being swarmed by the crowd. I made note that it was exceptionally busy today until I could hear screaming in the distance. My heart sank when I heard Cato's ravage grunting before bursting my way through the onslaught of students.

In the centre of the cafeteria lay Cato and Marvel, and across from them Finnick and another unknown student. I thought I recognized the other student from one of my classes, but disregarded the thought when I realized the situation at hand.

Marvel swung a fist at the unknown student, sending him flailing to the ground. He picked himself up, wiping at the blood that dribbled down from a gash in his lip, before swinging a fist back in Marvel's direction. Marvel managed to evade the blow, and then I watched as Cato tackled the student to the ground. He began tussling back and forth with him, each sending a few blows in each other's general direction.

Finnick was the next to act, as he managed to take hold of Cato and tear him from the other student. Marvel was on his feet again, this time his sights set on Finnick. Finnick was surprisingly quick on his feet and managed to block the blow before landing a fist into Marvel's cheek, sending the younger boy crashing to the hard floor.

The fight would have gone on until either party was left unable to continue, until a few teachers managed to calm the situation. Each party was sent off and would need to report to the principles office after lunch, and I believed I heard the words "detention for the rest of the week" muttered at some point during the debacle.

The situation quickly dwindled until the crowd of spectators took their seats and lunch resumed as it normally would. I was surprised to see Cato and Marvel take their seats quickly after the horrid charade. Walking over to them, I planted myself directly beside Cato.

"What were you thinking? No, don't answer that. You weren't thinking. What if you would have tore out your stitches, or better yet injured yourself more than you already have?" I exclaimed immediately. Cato's head spun to meet mine in a flash, his eyes huge with worry and an undertone of anger.

"I'm sorry, I know that it was stupid of me. But I just can't stand that kid. Besides, he started it," Cato responded swiftly. I stared at him for a minute, watching his dazzling blue eyes search mine for any signs. I had to shake myself mentally to bring myself back on track.

"Why is that hard to believe?" I asked simply.

"He's not lying," Cashmere interjected. I turned my attention to her, and watched as she took apart the lid from her Tupperware. "Finnick called him a few disgusting names," she finished.

"Like what?" I asked inquisitively.

"It's better left unsaid. Besides, Cato was just defending himself against the crude remarks. I actually agree with Cato for once. But don't ever say that I did, okay?" Cashmere replied.

I looked over at Cato who looked worried, but also hurt by my earlier judgment. I whispered an apology to him, before Clove's voice rang out across the table.

"Did I just hear that Cato here just got into a fight?" she exclaimed with a gleam in her expression.

"That'd be correct," Glimmer responded.

"Hey! I was involved too!" Marvel shouted out.

"We expect that from you, Marvel. But our Cato over here has been getting soft lately," Clove snickered.

"I'm not 'soft'," Cato corrected, his voice rising to a rage.

"Perfect! So you don't have a problem joining us tonight for some much needed renovations to this boring place," Clove stated. She had an expression that was full of deviousness and smarts.

"Again?" I interjected, confused.

"Renovations 2.0," Glimmer said excitedly.

"Sure, what time do you want us to meet here?" Cato replied. I looked over at him in shock, and he shrugged his shoulders at me before turning back to face the others. I couldn't understand why Cato would go along with this now, after everything that has happened lately. He was already most likely going to be in detention after class, so I couldn't imagine why he would want to risk getting caught all over again.

"I'll text you the time," Cashmere replied. She turned her attention to her brother's plate, where she plucked at a grape with a fork, before bringing it to her lips. She bit into it with a splash of juice and then devoured it within a matter of seconds. Gloss gave her a sarcastically angry expression, before everyone at the table erupted into laughter. Everyone but me that is. Because I am not laughing. I could not believe that I was being dragged into this again; but for Cato's sake I knew I had to prove to the others that I was just as much a part of this group as anyone else here. With a sigh, I bit into my chicken wrap and shook my head, mumbling words of disbelief under my breath.

* * *

The click of the door behind me was the only sound that echoed down the hallway as I made my way into the school from the southern entrance. The lights were dimmed as they always were, and most classrooms were completely dark. Typically the hallways were always filled with students lounging around or eagerly making their way to class, but after the school closed, there was a newfound appreciation for the silence. As I passed by several sets of trophy cases, my eye would catch things that I would otherwise not bother to cast a glance upon.

In the midst of my slow movement toward the cafeteria, where I knew the others would be waiting, I heard a door creak and the next thing I knew I was pulled into a dark classroom and thrust against the wall.

Lips slammed down onto mine, and I knew that it was Cato immediately. He pushed his hips into mine, and his legs surrounded my own. His fingers laced themselves through mine and then he threw them overtop of my head against the wall. I was completely vulnerable in this position, but I allowed myself to give in to Cato's desires. He broke the kiss for a split second, passing his tongue down over my neck as he trailed kisses downward. His warm hand made its way to my side as he pushed himself further against me. I was gasping for air as my hormones raged through my body with a yearning for Cato's touch. I couldn't handle the wait, so I grabbed Cato's head and brought it up to my lips once again, before a burst of sensation rippled across my lips as they met with his. I ran my fingers through his hair as he pushed his face further into mine, sending his hips soaring into my own. He broke the kiss a second time, now making his way back to my neck where he began to suck on the sensitive skin. I could feel his excitement pushing against my pants, and I let out a powerful moan. In an instant, Cato was gone out the door, leaving me sweating and panting. My mind raced as I turned to kick the desk in fury.

"_Such a tease!" I shouted aloud._

I waited in the room for a little while as I attempted to calm myself down from the recent events. It was a few minutes before I pulled myself from one of the desks and made my way to the door. I smiled to myself, before opening the door to limited lighting. I started walking intently for the cafeteria, where I could hear the voices of the others echoing. When I finally rounded the corner, my eyes caught onto Cato, who was shaking a bottle of spray-paint, acting as if nothing had happened. The others had already started their work when I finally picked up a bottle of blue spray-paint and began working alongside them.

We painted for what seemed like hours, before Clove and the others mentioned that they were headed to the gym.

"We're not just doing the cafeteria?" I asked, confused. I tossed a glance toward Cato, who shrugged his shoulders again.

"We're just getting started," Cashmere said, winking as she called out for the others to join her. "Clove, Glimmer and myself will cover the gym, Marvel and Gloss can go up to the library, while Cato and Peeta finish up in here," she added. The plan sounded good to me, considering it left me alone with Cato. When I looked over at him, I could see that he had the same thought as me considering he gave me a flirtatious wink.

It was only a matter of minutes before everyone broke off into his or her distinctive groups and Cato and I were left alone. I cocked my head to the side as he bent over to grab another can of spray-paint. He noticed that I was inspecting his body, when he looked up at me.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer," Cato stated flirtatiously.

"Playing hard to get, I see," I responded back with a small laugh. I could see the twinkle in his eyes as he walked over to me and planted a small kiss on my lips and threw his arms around my waist.

"Is this 'playing hard to get'?" he asked, using his dashing looks to emit a breathless grin.

"Pull a stunt like you did back there again, and I'll be the one playing hard to get," I retorted, bending down to search for a black canister. "Are we all out of black? I need to do some shading," I added, confused.

"Cash put them over by the vending machines, I think. While you're there do you mind grabbing me a bag of chips?" Cato asked. It was impossible to say no to that face, so I nodded and began walking slowly toward the vending machines.

They weren't far off from where Cato and I had been. It was just a short trip down the hall, but I could still see Cato's strong figure hard at work from where I stood. I searched my wallet until I came upon a toonie and then placed it in the machine. I searched for 'Doritos', which were his favorite kind, if I remembered correctly from our date. When I finally located them, I input the code on the keypad. They landed on the ground with a thud, as I placed my hand into the machine to grab them. Once in hand, I eagerly took hold of a black can of spray-paint that felt fairly full, and started back toward Cato.

I didn't make it far, because when I looked up from the hall I stood, I could see three policemen who were making there way across the foyer with flashlights in hand. The next thing that sent a chill down my spine were the two large German Shepherds. The spray-paint in my hand landed on the floor with a crash as it started to fizz out with a spewing black haze.

I went to scream out his name to warn him, when a hard hand came crashing down over my mouth, pulling me into darkness.

* * *

**Author's Note: Voila! I hope you all enjoy this one! It was one of my favourites for Cato/Peeta interactions! You all ought to expect that things don't stay relatively "happy" for too long around Panem High. Let me know what you all think in the Review section :) Until next time! ~ B **


	12. Unexpected

**Chapter 12: Unexpected**

* * *

I couldn't help myself but to try and scream as loud as I could, hoping by some miraculous turn-of-events that the policemen would hear my muffled cry. Though I continuously tried, my attacker's hand was hard against my mouth, which silenced any and all sounds engaging themselves from my lungs. Even my hands were of no use, my attacker one step ahead of me as they held my hands behind my back instinctively. I conjured up several thoughts as to whom the pursuer could be: another policeman who had snuck up from behind me to silence me as the other two authorities tracked down the remainder of my friends; a janitor or school official who had been subject to watch the schools halls after dark; Marvel, Gloss or one of the girls who had returned to protect me from being caught. My mind was a jumble of possibilities.

I kicked at my attacker, freeing one of my arms as they staggered backward. With a propelling push from my one arm and lashing out with my legs, I managed to pull myself from them. I raced for the door, but tripped as my foot caught the side of what I presumed to be a desk. Eagerly pulling myself from the ground and pacing toward the door, I felt my leg ripped from underneath me, sending me flying back to the ground. I had just about reached the door when I let out a wrenching scream as my assailant climbed overtop of me to silence my cries for help. I tried to shake them, before rolling over after which the former was unsuccessful. Unfortunately I was unable to get very far before the assaulter was overtop of me again, this time reaching down to cover the screams eagerly escaping through my lungs.

I was sweating profusely and all train of reasonable thought had long gone from my head, as I now struggled with each burning muscle to shake my assaulter from their hold on me.

"Shut up," I heard him whisper first, his voice aggravated and grim. "Shut up, right now!" he continued. I sank my teeth into one of his fingers as it mistakenly trailed its way into my mouth. I heard an outraged cry, before I began turning around to face him. When I tossed a glance upward, I immediately felt the hard blow of a hand against my face as its force struck against the side of my cheek. I was sent buckling toward the ground; my face in the opposing direction of the attacker.

"Stop it!" He called out next, pushing my face into the ground. I couldn't feel any of the pain, which surely surged through my body as my face slammed into the ground. I was too focused on gaining leverage on the assaulter that no pain could distract me from my goal. I propelled myself and buckled my legs outward as I sent the assaulter barreling to the ground beside me. With a loud crash I knew that he had been sent into a nearby bookshelf.

I pulled my aching body up toward the front desk and grabbed the first object I could reach: a medium-sized bronze trophy. I turned in a flash to meet the assailant who was struggling to pull himself up from the ground. I raised the trophy in my hands above my head, and just about brought it down onto my victim, when he turned to meet my gaze, his bloody grin meeting mine.

"Finnick?" I said instinctively, confusion setting in my mind. "I thought you were trying to kill me! Are you okay?" I asked panicked and rushing over to him. I placed a hand underneath his chin, whipping away at a stain of blood that had dripped down just below his lip.

"Remind me not to help you out next time," Finnick stated, brushing my hand away and slowly pulling himself to his feet. I sat on my knees for a little while, contemplating the recent events, my muscles still burning. I had been wrong in assuming who the assailant was and yet I was left even more puzzled than before. I finally rose to my feet, still a few inches shorter than he was, but looking directly into his eyes.

"I don't understand. How are you here? Why are the cops here? Do you know who sent them?" The questions flowed out of my mouth before I even had a chance to grasp what I was asking. My head ached from all the questions, thoughts, and memories racing around, wracking themselves against my brain. I didn't bother to allow Finnick to explain, because before I knew my mind centered on a single thought: Cato. I was on my feet in seconds, ignoring the calls from Finnick who I could hear behind me. The hairs on the back of my neck raised as I imagined his hand swiping at me, trying to hold me back from reaching the door. He was out-of-luck, because as soon as I reached the doorknob and swung the door open, there was no stopping me. I ran at full-pace with my head swinging from side-to-side as I hoped to see any sign of Cato's whereabouts; I could hear the echoing sounds of voices down the corridor past the vending machines now. I recognized Marvel's distinctive tone, both cocky and dignified – and I swore I could hear Cashmere's voice, although it did not sound as perky as usual. Though barely a whisper, I rounded the corner and flew into the room. I received alarmed looks from the others, who rushed over to me immediately.

"Cato…" I started, but I could not catch my breath. I propped myself up against a wall and placed my hands on my thighs as I breathed in heavily through my nose and out through my mouth. "Cato…where's Cato?" I finally managed to say between hard breaths. "Did the police…"

"Get him?" Marvel finished the thought before I could articulate it. "Yeah, they did." He looked just as frightened as he did when Cato was admitted to the hospital just over a week ago now. The memory hit me like a wall.

"Was he the only one?" I began. I looked around at each of their faces before realizing that Clove's was missing. "Where's Clove?" I started to ask, but I knew the answer already.

"They got her too. Luckily we were able to hide in time after we heard the barking," Cashmere interrupted. I cast a glance over at her, and realized that she and Gloss were standing barely inches from one another. I couldn't conjure up a smile after the realization, and instead decided it was best to sit down. Before doing so I thought back to Finnick, whom I remembered was only a few feet behind me as I ran down the hall. _He must have fled when he realized that the others were here_, I thought to myself.

"Finnick was here earlier," I started and the other shot me alarmed glares. "He was able to protect me from walking into a full-on ambush," I reassured them. I thought I could see Glimmer smiling, but the expressions from the others were unwavering. "It's a good thing guys," I tried to explain, but Gloss' angered interjection cut me off mid-speech.

"He led the cops here," Gloss stated first. "He was the only one who could have, I'm sure of it," he suggested.

"When Cato finds out, he's going to kill him," Marvel said next. He was pacing around the room now, hands on his hips as he trudged back and forth.

"He's as good as dead to me already," Gloss replied.

"What about when Clove finds out about all of this? She already has a record and she's not going to be happy when she finds out that Finnick was the one who initiated all of this," Glimmer inquired. She still had her preppy glow about her and that untouchable beauty as she passed her hand through her hair to tie back a loose strand; nobody could look as good as she did during times of stress.

"He'll be sorry for this, that arrogant, self-righteous idiot," Cashmere explained.

"No." My statement cut through the air like a knife. The others must have forgot that I was in the room during their rage, because they turned back to me with both surprised and curious expressions on their faces, before I continued. "We don't know for sure that it was him that did this. And we'd be stupid to go after him so soon after Cato and Clove were arrested – we'd mine as well turn ourselves over now, if that's the case."

"For a baker's son, you make an awful good point," Gloss stated. His words didn't bother me at all, because I knew he meant no offence to me. Anyways, I was proud of my roots and had nothing to be ashamed about.

"What do you think is going to happen to Cato and Clove?" I asked nervously.

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about there. Their parents will just pay their bail, or they'll pay the judge off if it goes that far," Marvel reassured me. I was thankful for the good news, but it did strike me as unbelievable that Cato's parents could avoid the law with their fortune.

"We best be getting home now," Glimmer said softly. "I had a lot of fun!" she added excitedly.

"Same here!" Cashmere called out.

"Definitely!" Gloss confirmed.

"It wasn't all bad," Marvel recounted.

"Yeah…" was all that I could manage to say before everyone trailed off on their own paths. Some took the front entrance closest to the parking lot, while others escaped through the southern entrance. I preferred the later, in spite of my nerves.

* * *

**The Following Night**

_Heyy! Marvel told me that you're parents bailed you out last night. Text me!_

_Cato? Text me when you get this…I'm worried xo_

_Hello? Why aren't you answering? I'm going to call._

_Hey, I just called and you didn't answer. CALL ME BACK!_

I sent several more texts throughout the morning and afternoon, none of which receiving any replies from Cato. I had hardly slept last night when I got home. My mother had been waiting for me in the living room, I recalled. As I slowly crept through the living room toward the kitchen and the stairs, a light had turned on in the corner of the room. When I turned my attention to the light, I noticed my mother sitting in our green chair. She slammed the book in her lap closed and shook her head as she walked past me, the bags under her eyes largely covering her worn expression.

Ever since this morning I had been sending messages to Cato, hoping to receive some sort of reply from him. I wanted so desperately to hear his voice or be reassured somehow that he was all right. I assumed that he would be sleeping in late, considering the late night, but I assumed that he would have responded to my messages later in the day; I had yet to receive a reply as I looked at the clock and noticed that it was already 7:12pm. I decided to try calling him one more time.

_Ring…Ring…Ring…Ring…_

"_Hello…?"_

"_Cato! How are you? I'm so worried about you" I called out in reply._

"_I'm exhausted, Peeta. Can't we talk tomorrow?" Cato said, stifling a yawn in between his words._

"_Is something wrong?" I asked simply. I noticed that his tone held a sense of annoyance in it._

"_Nothing's wrong. I just—Yes, mom! Yeah…Yeah…it's Peeta. I'll be off the phone any second," Cato said, his voice calling out distantly to his mom who must have entered the room._

"_Okay…I miss you. I was so worried last night. Have a good night, Cato," I said somberly, and ended the call with a simple beep as I touched the screen._

I didn't understand why Cato was acting the way he was, but I realized that perhaps he was just exhausted – he did have a very long night in any case. I decided that I would catch up on my sleep, having not went to school today – which also did not go over well with my parents, who made me work the bakery for the entire afternoon and supper shift. I turned off the night lamp that sat on my dresser and tucked myself into the bed. I closed my eyes and within a few moments I had drifted into a deep slumber.

* * *

**The Next Day**

I paced back and forth in front of Cato's locker waiting for him to arrive from class. I mulled over the countless things I wanted to say to him as I took each and every step. I smiled as Katniss and Gale passed by, but they were in a hurry and didn't bother to wave, just nodding as they trudged on. I returned to my trivialities turning back to take another few steps before looking up to see a brawn figure making his way down the hall. I knew it was Cato. I paced back and forth a little more as I thought back to the things I wanted to say to him, but found myself at a loss for words. I panicked when I heard his voice call out.

"People are going to get the wrong idea if you keep hanging around my locker, you know," Cato said. I turned frantically, but I noticed that he had a large smile on his face, and he was attempting to stifle his laughter. It was cute that he could laugh at his own jokes, and that was one of the many reasons that I liked him so much.

"I didn't get a chance to talk to you in English or Math," I started, unsure. I watched his expression morph from sarcastic to guilty. "So…how are your parents dealing with everything?" I asked next.

"I mean, there not exactly impressed with me," Cato said, as he pushed his way past me toward his locker.

"At least the charges were lifted, right?" I said hopefully, attempting to reassure him in any way that I possibly could.

Cato looked back at me with an uninterested glare, before he began spinning his lock.

"Do they know who did it? I mean…do they know who called in the police?" I asked him.

"Not exactly, but I'm pretty sure it was Finnick O'Dair. So the others and I are going to kick his ass when he comes back to school. Feel free to join in," Cato said. I laughed. He didn't.

"You're not serious?" I said, worried. I could not believe that Cato would go after Finnick after something so outrageous. "Please, Cato. Don't do this. For me…don't do this…" my voice trailing off.

"Peeta, what don't you understand? He embarrassed me in front of everybody! My family is pissed, and Clove hasn't even been allowed to see any of us since – let alone talk to us either," Cato said sternly. He managed to stop what he was doing to turn around and give me a hard glare.

"Promise me that you won't do this," I pleaded him. His expression finally softened as he turned to me with a sympathetic look.

"Would it be okay if I left it to the others?" He attempted, but my unwavering expression gave him his answer. "Fine!" he said sternly, until his voice softened once more. "All right. I won't do anything. You honestly don't understand the effect that you have on me," Cato whispered delicately.

I breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to meet his dazzling blue eyes staring back at me passionately.

"Shall we get out of here?" Cato said next, and my huge grin was answer enough. He threw his arm around me and we made our way to his car. What had started out as a confrontation had quickly turned into a small conversation and a sweet moment between the two of us. I couldn't help but smile involuntarily as he opened the door for me, and motioned with his hand for me to step in. I looked around to see if any students were looking, before giving him a quick kiss on the neck. He leaned in for another, but I quickly dodged his attempt by jumping into the car and pulling the door closed. He stood there for a moment, lips still pursed, before he said something underneath his breath and rounded the corner of the car to plant himself in the driver's seat. When he put the key into the ignition the car roared to life. Cato placed his hand on the dashboard to where a black knob protruded from the metal and turned it clockwise. Immediately the air around us filled with the sounds of uplifting music. We passed a smile between one another as he put the car into reverse and shifted gears once again; before I knew it, we were on the highway.

"Taking the scenic route today?" I inquired.

"That…and its also a faster route to my house if you remember correctly," Cato teased.

"You're taking me to your house?" I said, smiling. "You do know I have to work tonight, right?" I added.

"You better be joking…" Cato replied, turning to me with a tense expression. I shrugged my shoulders and chuckled a little before turning my attention to the forestry on my right.

The trees were finally beginning to chance color. I noticed a few red leaves here and there, which were my absolute favorite, despite an unusual amount of orange and yellow ones. I could see birds flying eagerly above the forest line, in a variety of different sizes and colors. I noticed a select few large ones, which I imagined were falcons. They frequently nested in the deeper forest surrounding this area. They were a close favorite of mine, but I couldn't manage to get over the beauty of the cardinal and blue jays that lived around my house. The music drowned out as my eyes took in the multitude of images passing me by. I missed coming out here to draw when I was young. I usually had to draw the sunset through my window in my room, or sketch a bit of the scenery around my house. The Hawthorne's had a beautiful landscape that I frequently painted in the summer months; it had several full-bloomed flowers, such as roses and tulips, a small pond with several koi fish, and a tree line that was open to the eye – which allowed me to see small bear cubs, nesting birds, foxes, rabbits, and other small animals.

I was taken from my train of thought when I realized that we had already arrived at our destination and Cato had already pulled the key from the ignition. I tossed a glance over to him to see that his expression held a large look of pleasure.

"What?" I asked simply.

"You're just really cute when you space out," he replied with a beaming smile. I smiled at him coolly as I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door. When I rounded thee front of the car, I felt my feet ripped away from the ground. My whole body flew up horizontally to which I finally realized that Cato had pulled me up into his arms.

"What are you doing?" I asked, looking up into his eyes.

"Practicing for our wedding night," Cato started, as my eyes widened in panic. "I'm joking," he stated next, before walking with me in his arms all the way to the door. I unlocked the door and turned the doorknob before Cato pushed the two of us through into the house. He walked with me all the way down the corridor, until he rounded up the stairs and into his room. He placed me down onto the bed, walked over to turn the fireplace on, and returned to where I lay. He seductively pulled himself onto the bed on top of me until his eyes finally met mine. I couldn't take the wait any longer; so I reached up and grabbed the back of his head and pulled his lips down to meet mine. I thought I could feel sparks erupting from our touch, specifically as Cato twirled his fingers through my hair. His full weight was now resting on me, and I found it oddly relaxing and comfortable. He slid his tongue into my mouth passionately, as I slowly trailed my fingers around the bottom of his shirt. When he began whimpering between our kisses, I finally slid my hand up his shirt and onto his warm body. His entire body shuddered at my touch, and I could feel him pushing his hips into me as our tongues danced together triumphantly.

"You really were joking about working tonight, right?" Cato asked nervously, as he pushed himself up for a moment, breaking our moment.

"It wouldn't matter now anyways," I beamed, tugging on his shirt until his lips crashed into mine again. I could taste strawberries on his breath and I didn't know whether or not it was from dessert or from his chapstick. Either way it tasted amazing, and I wanted more, so I pushed my tongue deeper and reached down to place a hand on his butt. He recoiled a little, but eventually gave in. I pulled him into me as I kissed him harder. Things were getting extremely heated, and I was unsure how far things were going to go. I thought we would take a moment to cool off as he wrenched himself away from my hold, but as I started to sit up, Cato began removing his shirt; while he remained straddling on my waist.

His crossed hands grabbed at either side of his shirt before he pulled it up and over his head, leaving his golden body dazzling before me. I placed a hand on his chiseled abdomen, and breathed out an air of amazement. I kept my hand on his abdomen as I looked up to see his beaming smile looking down at me mischievously.

"You're next," he said, and I immediately felt my nerves kick in. Things were going too fast and I didn't know if I wanted to wait or not, but my hormones were raging, so I decided then that it would be now or never. _It was romantic and all_, I thought to myself. _He had taken me on a scenic route, complimented me on a minute detail that most people overlooked, and carried me up to his bed_.

I sat up further, and Cato lay back on the bed now. He looked at me passionately and I could see our connection in the moment, which was enough to reassure me. I pulled my shirt off, and pulled myself slowly onto him. I bit my lip as his eyes drifted from my own downward. I watched as he inspected my collarbone, my slender arms, and finally onto my abdomen. I had v-lines on my lower abdomen, but I lacked the six-pack abs that Cato held. Instead, my abdomen was smooth and defined. Cato's eyes drifted back up to mine, and his hand reached up to clasp my cheek. He pulled himself up slowly, and I watched as he closed his, and before I knew it we were kissing once again.

Things went from passionate to eager in a matter of moments as Cato rolled me to the other side of the bed and now stood on top of me with a fiery gaze. He pressed his lips against mine sweetly, and then trailed a few kisses down my chest until he reached my belt buckle. He began unlooping it from the clasp…

"Finally my parents let me leave that Hell hole!" Clove shouted as the door opened swiftly, sending a massive gush of air toward the bed. The cold air made me shiver under Cato's weight, and the sound of the voice sending Cato upright on the bed, his spine perfectly vertical. My hands instinctively came up to cover my eyes, as I rested my thumb and index finger on my temples.

You could have heard a pin drop. That is until a heartbreaking gasp rang out over the room.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'll be the first to admit that this chapter was a little "all over the place" and fast-paced (and probably a little boring to some of you avid readers). I have so many ideas running through my head on where I want to go with this, but this was a matter of setting things in motion for Peeta, so I want to apologize if it was a bore to read. I know that I've been posting less often as of late (which is the repercussions of University). Anyways, I hope that you've all enjoyed the story so far! Until next time! ~ B**


	13. Veracity

**Chapter 13: Veracity**

* * *

Cato and I are side by side, facing Clove. We're quiet. We've been quiet for a while. It feels like hours. Two. Maybe three. I brush a strand of hair away from my face, and fumble around for words to say. Cutting Cato a sidelong glance, I think about his lips on mine, and then I look back toward where Clove is shifting uneasily. She looks at loss for words, as I watch several emotions pass over here face. Surprise. Sadness. Regret. Anger. I'm breathing faster than I should be. Cato, on my right, looks as if he had seen a ghost. He stands up as I go to reach out to him. Oddly, I'm thankful for the space, and I know that he needs it right now. I know that this is a conversation between Cato and him, but my involvement is unavoidable, and I stand up too, facing Clove as I bit my lip. I think I've drawn blood for a second, under the anticipation and strain.

"Clove…" Cato trails off, as I watch his hand reach out to her unsteadily.

"Don't," she replies, swatting his hand away in an instant. "Can I ask you something first?"

"Anything," I interject, which makes Cato look back at me. His brow is furrowed in annoyance and I swear I can see a little bit of pain flicker through his eyes. His eyes are no longer the dazzling blue that I remember them to be. They're grey. It reminds me of a barren landscape and loneliness. Exhaustion.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Clove managed to mumble. Her voice was shaky and I noticed that one of her eyes seemed to hold a fair amount of water on the lid.

When he doesn't answer, I sigh. I decide that it's best if I do the talking. "I…" I begin, before correcting myself. "We. We were going to tell you. What with everything going on lately, we didn't really see a good enough time."

"I didn't ask you what your opinion was, did I?" Clove spites back. I'm so angry in the moment, so sick of her self-absorption, thinking that everything is about her, that I almost freak out and tell her off. But I decide that for Cato's case, it'd be better to keep my mouth shut. "That's better," she says matter-of-factly, taking in my silence with a sadistic grin. "I said, were you ever going to tell me Cato?"

I shift my gaze over to where he stands, just a few inches from me. I could feel the hairs on his bare arms prickle up, sending a shiver down my spine. It felt like a centipede was walking over my skin during the moment. I brushed off the thought, and returned my focus to him. I could see him trying to utter words underneath his breath without any real sounds coming out.

"Before Christmas would be preferable," she spits, as she rests her fiery gaze onto him. I could almost see the daggers slicing through Cato, under her glare. "You know what? I don't think you were ever going to tell me. Am I right?"

"Clove…" Cato mumbles again. It's nearly impossible for me to stand her silently. Useless. I make note of the way that Clove is speaking to him, which makes me feel even worse for putting him into this position. My heart is slowly breaking in my chest, with each word she utters toward him in spite. So, I give into my temptation and move my hand over to his. I just have enough time to brush over his skin before he recoils his hand and puts it into his pocket. He pulls emotion out of me that I'm not used to feeling. For some reason, whenever he acts like this, I feel my walls breaking down. I feel thin and weak. I feel broken.

I look back to Clove, who is now pacing back and forth before the bedroom door frustratingly. I look away quickly when she meets my gaze, unsettled that she can read my emotions so easily.

"I should have seen this coming…" Clove mutters. I begin to formulate a response, to break my silence, before I realize that she's not talking to me. She isn't talking to Cato either. Instead, she's pacing back and forth before us as if we weren't standing there in front of her. "So when we kissed her in your bedroom, it was all for what? Were you trying to make fun of me?" she questions, once again to herself. There's something off in her tone now. Something that makes me think that she truly believes that her reasoning outweighs Cato's opinion on the subject. Something that makes me wonder just how far she plans on taking this.

"Clove, maybe you should give Cato a chance to explain himself," I say. I don't know why I say it when she so clearly silenced me only moments before. And then I do. I remember how Cato was always the most levelheaded of the group, the one whose opinion mattered the most. Even though he was a jock, he was also the most conscience and reasonable of the group, besides Gloss, of course. And I know that if I don't say something on his behalf, I'll regret it later. So there it is. It's out there in Clove's ballpark now. I wait again for a response. Two minutes. Three minutes.

"When? Today, tomorrow, next year?" Clove shouts. There is my answer. Clove confirmed what I had expected all along. She wasn't angry because we didn't tell her. She's angry because she feels betrayed. We're all quiet for a moment. And then I decide to push the conversation on, hoping by some slight miracle that Cato will be able to say something intelligible.

"I don't know how else to say this, so I'm just going to say it: this reaction that you're currently having isn't exactly the easiest when it comes to explaining the circumstances," I reply. There's a thread of dark humor behind the words, because I know in her expression that follows that she is aware of my regard for her.

"How else am I supposed to respond? My best friend that I've been friends with my entire life was just about to jump into bed with another boy!" she starts. I try to interject a comment, but she immediately cuts my off with a wave of her hand. "Shut up, because I don't want to hear it. From either of you!"

"Please, Clove," Cato begins.

"No! I hate you! Finnick was right! I hate you so much! You're an asshole, Cato!" she screams, some of her words catching between one another. Before Cato or I could have the chance to calm her down, she's out of the room with only a few strides. I watch as she rounds the stairs, not bothering to pass a glance back at either one of us, and then she's gone.

Cato and I are pulled into silence, so complete that I can't even make out the sound of the door slamming on her way out. I stand perfectly still, like a statue that's corroded over time. I wait for Cato to say something. I can hear his raspy breath coming in quick intervals, before I realize that I'm not going to get any sort of answer or comment from him. There's a snapping sound, like a hard foot coming down on a thin twig, as he slides down the cold wood of his bedframe and hangs his head in between his legs, his arm crossed over them like an intertwining vine. What happens next breaks my heart into a million little pieces: Cato begins to sob. His breaths come in large gulps, and his body thrashes as it yearns for more air. I hear him trying to be strong. Not for himself, but for me. I can't resist from sinking down beside him to lay a reassuring hand around him. I feel as he pulls his head up to rest it on my shoulder, his sobs coming now in shorter intervals. I rest the side of my head against his, whispering that everything will be okay. I know that things will only get worse for him tomorrow, but I lie anyway. I can't stand to see him breaking apart in front of me, without having the audacity to do something about it.

We sit there together for what feels like an eternity, before a knock on the door signals someone's arrival. Cato manages to pull himself up from where we sit together to stride over to the door to answer it. As he does so, I pull myself up too, using the bedframe to reposition my weight. I manage a small smile when I see that the intruder is Juliet, but Cato doesn't seem overly happy about it himself.

"Hi honey, I noticed that Clove stormed off earlier. Did something happen between you two…or three," she says when she notices me leaning against the bed. I give her a greeting nod, with a calm smile, before Cato responds.

"She caught me and Peeta together," Cato says simply. I almost have a heart attack and deliberately breathe in, hold, breathe out, breathe in, hold, breathe out. How could he tell her that Cato and I were about to have sex? I'm relieved when he catches himself and rephrases his statement: "She saw us kissing, and she flipped out. Mom, I don't know what to do!"

In a distant recess of my brain I hear my conscience kick in, which tells me that it'd be better if I left Cato and his mother to discuss this evenings event. I make a hand motion toward my lips, asking if it's safe for me to interrupt their conversation. Juliet shoots me a smile, and Cato leans in closer to me, "I think I'm going to head out. I'll call you later?"

"Absolutely," he says in reply, before leaning in and kissing my cheek quickly. I flush red when I see Juliet watching us, but relieved when she manages to give me a smile. I swear I see a tinge of happiness in her eyes, but dismiss it as I march out of the room. I pass a glance back at both Cato and Juliet as I round the stairs toward the entranceway. With a final smile in their direction, I trudge down toward the first level, and then the door, and then the night breeze hits me.

* * *

**Everdeen Residence**

It takes effort to focus on the fact that between the run-in with the police during our trek to the school after hours, the distance between my parents and I, and the fallout with Clove, I've basically lost all contact with Katniss and Gale. My focus for the past few days has been on spray-painting walls and the possibility of sexual relations with Cato, but Katniss and Gale have been messaging me non-stop, both happy and furious for some reason.

I tiptoe into Katniss' house, trying to avoid any interaction with Mrs. Everdeen, considering I was late on the paper this week. The last thing I need right now is a teacher-student discussion about missed homework. I head up to Katniss' room with Katniss hard on my trail, and open the door to find Gale lying on her bed, reading a magazine. He looks up and stares at me for a long time, his expression bewildered and also suspicious. I slam down hard on the bed beside him, "what are you reading?"

"What do I owe the honor," he says sarcastically, pretending to bow down to me.

"Stop," I say bemused, and jump onto him. I swat at his arms as they swing at me left and right playfully. He manages to squirm through me reach and flip me over. My face falls hard into the red velvet comforter, and he mounts on top of me, pinning down my arms.

"I didn't think you missed me _this_ much," I say jokingly, through the fabric that laps against my lips. He makes a huffing sound and then crosses over to the other side of the bed, leaving me alone to pick myself up. When I finally do, I turn over to Gale and give him a coy smile.

"Get over here," he says, and throws his arm around me. We hug for a few seconds, before he pulls away. "I _have_ missed you, you know. But you've been too busy with your boyfriend to make time for me." He stares at me again when I think he's being serious, and then we both erupt into an influx of laughter.

"I'm not even sure what we are," I start, "but there has been talk about marriage." Gale's jaw drops when I make the comment, and then I hear Katniss gasp as she enters the room. I swore she was only a few feet behind me when I reached the stairs, but now as I see her strolling in with a tray of fresh lemonade, I understand where she had been this whole time. I eagerly jump up to help her with the tray, which she nearly dropped upon entry, and whisper that I was only kidding. "You've missed a lot in the last few minutes, Katniss. Gale mounted me from behind and everything."

She lets out a second gasp, which quickly turns into a grand laughter. "He better not have!"

"It was truly a magical moment," Gale says, breaking his giggling. I toss him a playful wink, and then look back to see Katniss shaking her head.

"So, is this a polygamous relationship?" Katniss says. I begin laughing by myself, until the reality of the situation sets in. I quickly pass a glance back at Gale and then back to Katniss a few times, each time drawing in their smirks.

"No way!" I squeal, and then run over to Gale to punch him in the shoulder. Normally he'd groan, but right now he's too happy to do anything about it, just easily brushing off his soon-to-be bruised muscle. I freeze, thinking about the way I feel at the moment. For a slight moment in this otherwise crappy day, I feel happy. With a sigh of relief, I turn back to face Gale, "It's about time!"

"Am I right?" Katniss snaps back at me sarcastically. She's beaming with a smile now, walking over toward me to place a lemonade on the night table beside me.

"Can you blame me?" Gale says, passing a glance up and down Katniss' figure. I follow his gaze to see him looking over at Katniss as she places another glass down on the other side of the room, where I presume she will be sitting. She is bent over as she eagerly places the glass on a coaster, and I shoot Gale a you-must-be-kidding-me gaze, eyes rolling unbelievably.

"How did he ask you?" I say to Katniss as she finally takes a seat across the room, before she begins rolling her chair over.

"You do know that I'm still here right? Can't you save the gushy stuff for later?" Gale complains, but the smile on his face gives him away all too easily. I grab the nearest pillow beside me before sending it hurtling toward him. He gasps out in irritation, sending it back at me.

"You need to work on your aim," I state with a grin. He cocks his head to the side, before I beam at him triumphantly. I feel like a kid again. It's been forever since I've seen these two like this. These past few months have been hard on our friendship, but I'm finally happy to say that things are going pretty well. Especially since Gale and Katniss are finally doing the whole dating thing, which is drastically uncommon for the pair. "Seriously. How did he ask?"

Katniss rushes to take a sip of her drink before beginning. I notice a gleam in her eyes that has been missing for a long time. Her blue eyes rival Cato's in appearance, but I'm completely biased in comparison, so I sent the thought away. "We went for supper the other night at that new bar and grill, you know the one with the colorful owning's downtown," she looks at me to make sure I know which restaurant she's talking about. I give her an assuring nod. "Yes, that one. Anyways, when he picked me up he had purple tulips for me. I thought it was so cute," she continued, passing glances at Gale every so often, who had completely zoned out again and was currently deep into an article in his magazine. "After supper he came right out and asked me. I could tell he was nervous, but it was just too cute. And of course I said yes!"

"I wasn't that nervous…" Gale mumbled stubbornly underneath his breath. I tossed him a playful glance, shaking my head as I began chuckling. "What are you laughing about Mellark?"

"You." He ends up laughing with me and I know that he's happy despite being made fun of.

"Why don't you stop antagonizing Gale over there and tell me about your hottie," Katniss suggests, taking another sip of her drink. I notice a pink stain on the glass when she begins placing it back onto the table to her left. She turns to me again, this time giving me a look that's all Katniss: raising her hands in the slightest and raising her brows, while cocking her head in the most minute manner.

I notice Gale mimicking Katniss' over-the-top tone, and smile as I start speaking, even though what I'm about to say isn't a positive thing. "Things have been great between us in the past few weeks. I'm finally fitting in with his friends and he picks me up from work all of the time so we can spend any extra time together." Katniss exerts a look that expresses her entrancement with our relationship. "Anyways, just before I came over Clove walked in on Cato and I when we were just about to have sex and she completely freaked out!" I said, which made Gale immediately sit up and caused Katniss to dribble some of her lemonade on her lap as her mouth hung open.

"That's crazy! Why didn't you tell me?" Katniss screams out across the room, which makes Mrs. Everdeen call upstairs to see if things are all right.

"Us," Gale corrects. Katniss flashes him a teasing look, before turning her attention back to me. She looks completely shocked, I note.

"It happened just before I got here! She completely overreacted," I shout back with unease.

"Not that! That's a whole other conversation. Why didn't you tell us that you and Cato were sleeping together?" Katniss says, this time loud enough for me to hear it, but low enough so that her mother doesn't come upstairs to investigate the sudden increase in tone.

"We're not. I mean, this was going to be the first time," I reply, face flushing red in embarrassment. This day keeps getting more and more awkward with each passing minute. I'm dying to tell her more about his sexy figure, but I know that Gale would not want to hear that much detail. He had a weird fascination with my relationships, but usually any sex-talk was off the table. At least, I thought so.

"So you were going to have man-on-man hot sex with Cato, and just before things got overly heated she walked in and caught you in the act?" Gale inquires. The way he phrase it completely takes me off-guard and I pull a Katniss, but instead of a little dribble, I nearly pour the entire glass into my lap. "Are you that sexually frustrated?" he teases as he watches me attempt to clean the mess.

"I'm not sexually frustrated, and yes, you basically summed up exactly what happened. I'm so embarrassed myself, but Cato's a mess. He's not ready for his friends to know about us." I'm winded after confessing the truth of the matter: I was Cato's secret until now. It would only be a matter of time before Cato made a decision about where to take our relationship now. Public. Or simply end it.

"I'm so sorry, Peeta" Katniss and Gale both chime together. I smile back at them before teasing, "Hey, don't ruin our moment. This is a time to celebrate! My two best friends are dating." I point out the obvious, but I watch as Gale and Katniss flush as red as the burgundy comforter. "Rule #1: I better _never_ walk in on you two having sex."

* * *

**Panem High Secondary School**

Lunch. I have been trying to avoid this all day long. I remember asking Mrs. Everdeen for a make-up assignment at lunch since I lost marks on the last test, asking Katniss and Gale to go out for lunch today, or completely bailing on the cafeteria itself. But I knew that I would have to talk to Clove at some point or another. When I passed her in the hall this morning, I was the one receiving the stone, cold glare this time. I felt the daggers from her eyes piercing each and every pore on my body. I felt the sting of my muscles as the burned for being ripped. I even imagined smelling the metallic blood in the air. Eventually I tossed the thought away and decided that I would confront her at lunch with an ultimatum.

When I entered the cafeteria, I noticed that it was oddly deserted. It was usually booming with students eager to eat their lunches. I shrugged my shoulders and walked to the back of the cafeteria, near the stage, where we usually sat. I could see Gloss, Cashmere, Marvel and Glimmer already sitting down, but there was no sign of Cato or Clove. For a long minute, I just stand here, conflicted. My nerves are starting to act up and I don't know if I can do this. How much has Clove told them? Had she told them?

I push past a few students and finally arrive at the table. Each of them looks up at me with smiles and invites me to join them. I breathe a sigh of relief. She hadn't told them yet. I smile back before taking my seat.

I didn't prepare a lunch for today, since Cato called me late last night and told me that he would bring something for the two of us. I remember spending countless hours in bed last night wondering how I had been so lucky to have a boy like Cato in my life. He had changed so much since I first met him. For better.

I watch as Clove and Cato walked in together, and my jaw goes slack and all I can do is stare aimlessly. His jeans hang low on his hips, roughly an inch from where the waistband of his boxers hangs out. As he walks the hem of his T-shirt catches on his belt, and my eyes immediately focus onto his smooth skin that covers a grooved muscle on his hipbone. When he finally rounds the cafeteria and plants himself down beside me, I'm immediately swathed in the smell of his spicy cologne.

I see that he's cut his golden locks, which were growing a degree too long for his jawline. His hair is now spiked up and I'm drawn to how the hair rests against his temple and coats the top of his ears. He looks at me with an intrigued look, before dropping his sandwich on his tray to stare at me again. I feel my face flushing red, and I wonder whether or not I should continue to look into those dazzling blue eyes or not, for fear of drowning into them. What happens next completely takes me by surprise. He brings his right hand up and cups my cheek, before leaning in and crashing his lips into mine passionately. It's a simple kiss, without tongue, but longer and stronger than a quick peck. The instant he pulls away, I see nearly a billion eyes looking at us in shock. Everyone in the group at our table is looking at us, unblinking, while a select few people from the cafeteria stare too.

"I probably forgot to mention that Peeta's my boyfriend now." Cato's simple comment bewilders me, and I see the others react in the same way. Some confused. Others disbelieving. And even one or two excited and happy.

It happens in a matter of moments and as soon as it began it was over. Everyone went back to eating in silence, and Cato enthusiastically went back to munching on his sandwich.

I smile a little too long and a little too wide. I look around to catch Katniss and Gale holding hands across the room, watching me. I see Katniss grinning and shaking her head as she attempts to hold back a chuckle, and Gale beams at me with a thumbs-up.

It's only when I go to turn back to my plate that I catch Finnick O'Dair glaring in my direction. He won't meet my eyes directly, and I immediately know why. Because he's blatantly glaring at Cato.

* * *

**Author's Note: Voila! I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter this afternoon, despite how grim things may seem. I take into consideration everything you all say in your reviews and personal messages, so I decided to elongate some interactions - so you can see the dimensions of other characters. Now, I will have to crush all your hopes when I say that *there will ****not**** be another chapter until next week or so* since there are 4 birthdays, including my own, this weekend. (I know, I know. I'm sorry). I hope that you all like this chapter, and let me know if you liked having more scenes with other characters to explore their personalities or if you prefer when I stick to Peeta/Cato and the occasional interaction with others. Enjoyyyyyyy! :) Until next time, B. **


	14. Delirious

**Chapter 14: Delirious**

* * *

The silence lasted most of the lunch hour, only the sounds of the others chewing down the last bits of their meals filling the air. Gloss was an exceptional eater, having been able to down so much as three hot dogs, a cheeseburger, a large fry, and two servings of coleslaw in a matter of thirty minutes. I guess it was partly due to his large figure and all the football practices he had to endure during the week; every one taking a toll harder than the last. Cashmere was nothing like her older brother, in fact she had hardly ate anything since lunch began. I watched as she picked at a fruit salad, eagerly searching for the purple grapes and the ripest strawberries, and then attempting to toss the remainder of fruit into the trash quickly thereafter, before Gloss intercepted her. My jaw went slack as I watched him pick at the leftovers, but I shrugged my shoulders in the acceptance that I'd never truly understand, and went on eating. Cato must have noticed my blatant stare earlier, because I felt his hand rest on my thigh, before he started to whisper in my ear.

"Careful: he might mistake you for food." I turned over to look at him in confusion, before locking eyes with him. His gaze narrowed and then I watched as he pulled his hand up to my face. I tried to look down at him, but he was too quick. He quickly used his thumb to wipe away at a chocolate drizzle that rested on my lip, from my pastry, and then seductively placed his finger into his mouth to taste the warm fudge. "Tastes amazing. Thanks for the offer."

"This," I started, reaching down to remove his hand from my thigh, "needs to stop, before I get any ideas." My eyes never shifted from his and his eyes lit up immediately as he processed the thought. He bit into his lip as I watched his mind wander, and then his gaze began to slowly make its way down toward my belt. For a moment in time I thought that we were the only ones in the entire room, but we were mistaken when Cashmere's phone rang out loudly. She answered it, nodded a few times as she continuously said "yes," and then she slammed her phone shut and turned to us with pursed lips and an ecstatic expression.

"You. Guys. Will. Never. Guess. What. I. Was. Just. Invited. To." She said, stressing each and every word, a small pause between each syllable. "And I'm allowed a plus one, which obviously means that you're all coming." We were all waiting for some kind of sign that there was a wedding or a formal event, but she quickly disregarded any of our guesses. "Rave."

"Yes!" Glimmer screeched. We all turned to her in shock, as she had completely risen from the table with her right arm outstretched like one of those picturesque superhero propagandas. She started rummaging her hand through her hair nervously in the few seconds thereafter, clearly embarrassed.

"There better be some hot babes," Marvel said next, breaking what would seem like a vow of silence. He hadn't said anything since the "big reveal," but Cato assured me that he was just taken by surprise and would come around. My mind raced back to the exact moment that Cato called me his boyfriend, and I realized that Marvel was one of the people whose faces expressed sheer bombshell. I figured that I would let it go, since it wasn't worrying Cato in the slightest. In fact, Cato seemed to be the most calm out of all of the people currently residing on the table.

I didn't bother to listen to the others, because I noticed that Finnick was still looking at us. He looked liked he had seen a ghost. A couple tables down, I realized that Katniss and Gale had left their table and were now nowhere to be seen. I assumed that they were gone to grab a little personal time together, which made me cringe a little inside, despite how happy I was for them. When I felt a hand squeeze my thigh again, I immediately shook myself from my thoughts and twisted around in a flurry.

"What did I say?" I shouted, but secretly enjoying the touch. When I turned back I noticed that Cato had a large smile on his face, but his cheeks completely betrayed his confidence. I could tell that he was nervous. He had this habit of looking down and avoiding my sight every so often as he would proceed to shuffle his hands together involuntarily. These were little habits that I had been accustomed too over the semester that I had known him.

"So…how about being my date?" When he finally got the words out, his colored returned to normal and he immediately looked like the cocky and self-absorbed Cato that I had come to know.

"You do realize that a rave isn't exactly a date kind-of-thing, right?" I replied, eyebrows creased and a smile making its way onto my face.

"It could be," Cato said, shifting his body closer to me. "Are you really going to make me work for this?"

"Oh, absolutely. You'll be lucky if—" I didn't get the chance to finish my sentence before his lips slowly met with mine and his warm hand placed itself just under my belt, light enough that I could feel it, but not hard enough that I could feel pressure. I immediately tensed up at the touch, and part of me wanted to recoil, but the taste of his lips against mine was too irresistible. The kiss was surprisingly quick, long enough to make a statement to me, but short enough so that our PDA was kept to a minimum. It wouldn't be wise for us to parade our relationship around now that it was just recently made public. I gave out a sigh of surrender, before responding: "Fine. But only on one condition."

"And what's that?" Cato inquired flirtatiously. God he was sexy when he talked to me like that and gave me those sweet blue eyes of his.

"Don't ever tease me like that again." I quickly swooped up from the bench and walked off, not bothering to pass a glance behind my shoulder. I was sure that Cato would follow me anyhow.

* * *

**The Hawthorne's**

"What about this?" Katniss asked for the hundredth time. She had gone through an entire wardrobe in the last few minutes, I was sure of it. I wasn't surprised to see that she left a boatload of her clothes at Gale's house for just this emergency. She had received an exclusive invitation to the rave too, which was all the more exciting for me. It was basically a double date…just a little sloppier.

"For the five thousandth time, that one looks just as good as all the others do. You can basically pull anything off." The latter comment made her smile a little, but she quickly trudged off to the bathroom to change again. I shook my head in annoyance just as Gale walked into the room with a bottle of water for me.

"Still changing?" he asked, nodding his head toward the direction of the bathroom. I nodded as he passed me the bottle, and then we both started laughing.

I was about to respond to him when my phone started to ring in my pocket. When I pulled it out and looked at the screen, I seen Cato's picture on the screen and immediately broke out into a smile.

"Is that your booooyyyyfriend?" Gale teased. I threw a pillow at him.

**_"Hey!"_**

**_"Hey Peeta, how's it going at Gale's place?"_**

_"**We're almost ready**. _IF IT WEREN'T FOR KATNISS' NEED TO CHANGE A BILLION TIMES!"

**_"Perfect. Should I swing by in fifteen to pick you up, or is Gale driving you?"_**

**_"Umm…"_**

I looked up to see Gale looking at me curiously, and whispered the question to him as I placed a hand over the speaker.

**_"Looks like Gale's going to be driving. I'll see you there, okay?"_**

**_"Sounds good, babe." _**

I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye before he hung up. I shrugged before turning back to Gale.

"Is that what you're wearing tonight?"

"Do you have a problem with it?" he replied quickly. I watched as he pulled a piece of thread from his jeans.

"No, it's sexy," I said, just seductively enough to get him to groan.

"I wouldn't say this normally, but I'd rather talk about you and Cato, than you and I," he started, as we both chuckled. "Do you think he's going to be able to hand all that?" He put a lot of stress on the latter part of his speech, eyeing my attire.

"What? Destroyed dark wash jeans and a low v-neck?" I didn't think thought my outfit was overwhelming, but I was excited to know that Gale thought it was. Gale let out a huff just as Katniss reentered the room.

"That's the one." I didn't even need to elaborate, because the look on her face signaled that she had already sealed the deal on wearing it tonight. She wore a black short sleeve shirt with hanging sides, that showed off her navy blue bra, along with the tightest black skinny jeans that I had ever set eyes on.

"Peeta, do you feel like stepping out of the room for a few minutes?" Gale joked, which made us all laugh, although Katniss shot Gale a serious look. I contemplated following up on the offer, but when Katniss grabbed her purse and started for the door, I knew that we were going to be on our way.

When we reached the stairs, I walked just behind Katniss, with Gale hard on my tail. "Did I hear someone correctly when they said that this is a black light party?" My question seemed to hang in the air for a while, at least until we rounded down the last few stairs and Katniss mumbled a quick "yeah."

It was a typical night in Panem City, fairly hot with a cool wind. We eagerly crossed the grass in front of Gale's house before making it over to his car, which was parked on the side of the road. It must have just been cleaned, since it dazzled under the moonlight tonight. It was Gale's baby, and I knew better than to trek my dirty shoes into the car, so I rubbed them along the hard concrete before pulling myself into the truck. I closed the door ever so gently.

It wasn't a long ride to where the party was being held. I knew host from my English class, but never really bothered to make conversation with him. He was typically very quiet and brooding, so I didn't push myself to make conversation any more than I needed too. Gale parked across the street from the building, which was surely expensive compared to many of the buildings in Panem City. It was a slate grey with windows panning around on all sides. There was a nice black design on the front of the building, but I couldn't really place it, so I waved it off and followed behind Katniss and Gale.

We walked for quite a while, before reaching a rustic looking elevator that had a pull-down door. Katniss stepped inside first, then myself, and then Gale. A few other girls joined us before Gale used his muscles to pull down the door. Up we went for countless floors. I was sure that we were going all the way to the penthouse, but we managed to stop a few floors before. The sound of the music hit me first, followed by the smell of alcohol and sweat, and finally by the sight of countless bodies packed together. There were countless colors swaying back and forth to the music, and I watched as two extremely well painted individuals made their way to a refreshment stand on our left. The whole table was lined with alcohol and a few assortments of chips. Katniss and I had already been drinking for a while before the party, so I decided to cool down with water.

I was just about to take a step closer to the table, when a hand reached over and grabbed my forearm, slowly sliding down to my hand. Turning around I caught a glimpse of Cato's naked torso. Between the few seconds I spent inspecting the ultraviolet lights and the mass of bodies, Cato had completely removed his shirt. He was now standing just before me, with a paintbrush in his mouth, eyes transfixed on mine.

"Feel like painting my body?" His words cut into me deeply, sinking hard into my chest like a pair of claws, threatening to tear me apart from inside out. I could feel my heart racing through my shirt, eyes wide with surprise and excitement. I eagerly reached for the paintbrush and shifting over to the swatch of paint buckets a few paces away. I decided on using his blue eyes as my muse, quickly inserting the paintbrush into light blue paint and slowly began etching a design on his shoulder bones. He grimaced when the cold substance first touched his delicate skin. Painting in a wide array of designs, I motioned for him to turn around to face me. Slowly I began to paint just above his hipbones, causing a stir of pleasure from him. His moan was enough to pierce through the raging music. I casually placed the paintbrush onto the table beside us, and brought my lips up to meet his passionately and teasingly. Just as he began bringing up his hands to cup my cheeks, I pulled myself away from his embrace. His eyebrows contorted in confusion, but he quickly caught on when I ripped my low v-neck down the middle with what little strength I had left in my body; Cato's body was enough to drain me of all my might. His eyes lit up as he moved himself closer to me, hand reaching out to the paintbrush at my side.

"Red," I stated, as his hand moved over a bucket of green paint. He smiled and shook his head before dipping the end of the brush into the thick liquid. I gasped when the paint touched my warm skin, much like Cato had done when I first touched him with the paint. His smile grew bigger as he painted me with a multitude of swipes from the brush. When he finally completed his design, I looked down to see several bold outlines of intricate maroon forms. It wasn't as well done as Cato's was, considering I was the artist in the relationship.

I noticed that Katniss and Gale had already finished painting themselves and were already on the dance floor, in between a large group of teenagers. The colors shone brightly under the ultraviolet light, filling the senses with ecstasy. Katniss and Gale waved their hands in the air, seemingly calling me over to join them. With a slight wink toward Cato, I bounded off to join them.

"Hey!" They hardly noticed my call, due to the overpowering sound of the music, which drowned out everything else. I jumped in between the two of them, and began dancing seductively. Katniss was in front of me, lowering herself to the ground as she pushed her body into mine. I was surprised when Gale came up from behind me and started dancing behind me. Katniss raised herself up and turned to face me, seemingly forcing me into a sandwich between her and her boyfriend. I moved out of the middle to allow Katniss between us. She immediately began kissing Gale and placed a hand behind her toward my thigh, as we moved with the music. When she pulled away from Gale, she turned to me and without any notice she crashed her lips into mine. I didn't know what to do, so I just went with it, hoping by some chance that Gale wouldn't have my head for this. Besides, Katniss and I had been drinking beforehand. When she pulled away from me this time, she had a large coy smile on her face. And then it happened: Katniss pulled both Gale and I together, until our lips met with one another. When Katniss' hand dropped from the back of my head I was surprised that he didn't recoil. The feeling was unlike anything I had ever felt before. Gale had small stubble over the roof of his lip, and his tongue felt oddly right as it pushed its way into my mouth. My eyes shot open with shock, and then it was over. He smiled at me with beaming white teeth that luminesced under the ultraviolet light.

I felt a hand edge its way from my backside toward my groin on my thigh, as I turned to see Cato. He must have seen the overt display of affection as we danced together, and wanted in on our charade. I nodded back toward Gale who caught the hint to pull Katniss closer to him. I shifted around clockwise, until my backside was facing Cato. I raised my left hand and placed it on the side of his face, as I thrust my hips in a circular motion. I moved toward the ground with my back evidently leaning against his strong legs, and hand falling down to his hip. When I rounded to face him and pulled myself up, I couldn't help but notice the tension between us. It was simmering. The ultraviolet light reflected off of his blue streaks on his muscular abdomen, sending my senses into delirium. He couldn't help himself because within a matter of seconds he placed his hand onto my belt and pulled me closer to him, closing the distance between our lips. When his lips met mine, my mind raced back to the moment between Katniss, Gale and myself. It was an experience that I'm sure we'd remember forever. I tossed the thought aside as I pushed my tongue into Cato's mouth, fighting for dominance. I eventually gave in to him, and everything seemed to fade away. The moment was exactly like I had envisioned the time that my mom explained to me how you knew you were head-over-heels for someone. She said, "Everything else just fades to grey. And it's just the two of you." I finally knew what she meant, because I couldn't feel bodies rubbing up against me, I couldn't smell the thick scent of sweat hanging in the air, and even the music had drowned out to nothing more than a whisper along the wind. I didn't exactly picture the moment I knew to be during a rave, or during a time where my boyfriend and I were half-naked, but it was perfect. In that moment I knew I was in love. It happened just like a dream does: gradually and then all-at-once.

"Take me home." My statement cut through the air like a knife whizzing past. Cato's eyes shot open with surprise and confusion, but he interlaced his fingers through mine and pulled me through the crowd. When we reached the elevator, he quickly pressed the button. It took a minute or two before the elevator stopped at our floor and then we were descending anxiously.

"Is everything okay?" Cato asked silently. I turned my head to see him looking at me with an expression full of support.

"It's perfect." I kissed him on the cheek quickly before the elevator opened to the lobby. We quickly made our way through to the front doors, and then we were rounding the building toward the parking lot. "Where did you park?" I asked confused and a little cold. We had been walking for a while now, and I still couldn't see any sign of his car. It usually stood out among the others after all.

"Over there near the trees. Sorry, I should have thought this through beforehand," he replied, motioning to our naked chests. His reply was sincere and almost too apologetic. "I have a few spare shirts in the back of the car. Don't ask." He knew exactly what I was going to say before I could muster up any actual words, so I shrugged and carried on walking.

"Don't worry, I could use the fresh air," I replied, stifling a bout of laughter that threatened to erupt into the open clearing. It smelt terribly of sweat, underage drinking, and stale chips in there, so I was thankful to be rid of it. When we finally reached the car, Cato opened the door for me, and I couldn't resist giving him a kiss in reward for the deed. He was always thinking about others. I had to give it up to him: he had the "bad boy" persona with the "golden boy" heart. The engine roared to life in the night sky, and the wheels screeched against concrete as we stormed off into the night.

"Turn here." The wind was rummaging through my hair and my voice was barely audible after lack of use for the last half and hour or so, but Cato heard me nonetheless and made a right turn.

"I thought you wanted me to take you home? This leads to the…" his voice trailed off when he realized my intentions. "Cottage?" was all he could mumble, and I nodded in approval. His expression went from worried to excited in a matter of seconds. The last time I had spent a night with him at the cottage felt like ages ago. I had to admit that I missed it. The cottage was a place that Cato and I could go too when we needed time away from the rest of the world; it gave us comfort; it allowed us to be ourselves without anybody watching or criticizing us; and most of all, it was home.

Cato parked the car into the driveway and turned the key in the ignition, the roar of the engine dissipating until it was no more. He turned to me with a curious brow. He started to speak but my lips silenced him. I brought my hand up to the back of his head to push him further into our embrace. His blonde locks were soft to the touch and I weaved my fingers through them endlessly. I pulled away from him and opened the passenger door to my right. He smiled when I rounded the car and brought my lips back to his once again. I longed for his touch. I yearned for the taste of his lips on mine. I couldn't wait any longer.

We fumbled aimlessly on the pathway, all over each other, as we pushed onward toward the door. I let out a little whimper when he had to pull away from me to slide the key into the door to unlock it. But when the door creaked open, his arms were back around me and his lips locked onto mine. I walked backwards and he walked forward, leading the way. He was a poor guider, because when I trampled over a pot of flowers on the floor next to the bathroom door, I shot him a worried glance. He didn't look too concerned, or else he was just too focused on our actions. I smiled and once again placed my lips onto his, tongue searching his mouth.

He led me up the stairs, which was a challenge in itself. You could say that we were a little over-the-top in our need to be together, that basically anything and everything that stood in our way risked their inanimate lives. When we finally reached the bedroom, my knees buckled as he pushed me into the bed and then the world around me went horizontal. His weight came crashing down on top of me, but it felt exhilarating. I raced upwards on the bed, and pulled his head up to follow along with me. With a few more kisses under our belt, Cato removed his shirt. I couldn't tell you how badly his brawn figure affected me, or how each time he gave me a glance of his beautiful body I buckled in amazement. I followed in suit, removing my own shirt next. As I did so, Cato pulled himself up to straddle my waist. We were still painted with blues and reds, but it no longer glowed without the ultraviolet light. But we would make do. The lights remained off but I could see Cato's face clearly above me. His expression was full of emotion: I noticed happiness, exhileration, and nervousness all-at-once. I placed my fingers back into his hair, which seemed to calm his nerves, and looked into his eyes passionately.

"I love you, Cato."

* * *

**Author's Note: It started off pretty rough, but hopefully it lives up to some of your hopes! Thank you everyone for the reviews, it means a lot and most of them made me laugh. Thanks for the "Happy Birthday" wishes; sorry I couldn't write this weekend at all, or else this chapter would have been posted earlier (not to mention midterms!). I hope you all enjoy! :) Until next time, B. **


	15. Captivated

**Chapter 15: Captivated**

* * *

My fingers were still laced through his hair and Cato's bare chest rested just above mine, using both his hands to hold up the rest of his weight. His blue eyes were gleaming and I watched as he blinked away a small tear that formed along the lid.

"What did you just say?" His voice creaked out of his mouth as nothing more than a whisper. I could hear the bewilderment in his voice, but his eyes lacked any preconceived judgment. It was just the two of us now. I wanted nothing more to be honest with him about my feelings. He deserved to know how I felt about him.

"I love you so much," I replied. My eyes never shifted from his and my fingers now sliced their way through his hair with a silent force. My fingers tingled as small knots of hair would accumulate over them.

"You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words. I love you, Peeta Mellark. I love you more than anything." I sent out a silent wish, hoping that I could freeze this moment, right here, right now. I wished that the hand on the clock that now rested at 8:14pm would simply stop moving. That I could preserve this moment with Cato.

A smile formed on the side of my mouth before I pulled Cato back in for another passionate kiss. His lips were moist and warm, and they felt absolutely amazing against my own. They tingled where they met. We were one in this moment. Every time he would push into our embrace for more, I would pull back, and vice versa. We completed one another.

The tension was eagerly rising between us. I could feel it in our kiss, in my heart, and through my body. Things were intensifying between us and I knew that Cato could feel it too. His tongue raced across my mouth, but not too strongly. Our kisses were slow and sweet, but also impatient. I slipped a hand down his smooth chest beginning at his collarbone, down past the crease in his upper chest, down over his bellybutton and onto his side.. I began rubbing my groin into his, a moan erupting from Cato as his top lip broke the kiss. I slipped a hand down through the crease in his pants where his jeans met his bare skin on his hips. I poked a finger under the waistband slightly and could feel the simmering heat coming from his groin area.

Cato pulled back from me, straddling my waist upright, allowing me to edge my hands over to his belt buckle. I pulled the band from the loop, and slowly tugged at it. His hips moved forward instinctively and his belt immediately came apart. I tossed it over the side of the bed, the sound of the belt hitting the floor the only thing breaking through our passion-filled breathlessness. Cato bent down to sneak another kiss, this time playfully biting my bottom lip and recoiling a little. My bottom lip stretched teasingly within his mouth, and then he let go after only a few short centimeters. I huffed a sigh and then reached for his zipper. His hands caught mine, stopping me and I looked up to see his face looking down at me.

"I've never done this before…" he started. My eyes widened in surprise, thinking that he was a virgin, before he corrected himself. "I mean…I've never done anything with a guy before." His cheek instinctively flushed red in embarrassment, and I had to stifle my short laughter. He really knew how to make a guy feel special.

"Don't worry, we can take it slow." A small, but reassuring smile, formed at the crease of his lips and then he slowly nodded. I could see him taking in short breaths of air and gulping down his excess saliva as his nerves thrashed his body. I bent forward on the bed, rising to meet him and spun him down around me so that he lay underneath me. I planted a small kiss on his lips before straddling his waist vertically. I nodded in approval and his hands came up to the waistline of my jeans. I small tension broke through into our perfect moment, and then I could feel the cool air of the room on my boxer briefs. I heard the small, but lengthy sound of my jean zipper being pulled down, but I could hardly feel pressure against my waist.

I quickly removed my skintight jeans and then looked to Cato. I could tell that he was unsure and a little confused, so I bent down and unfastened his jean button. I playfully attempted to pull down his zipper with my teeth, but I only managed to get half way down before I became too impatient. I zipped the remainder of his jean zipper down with my hands, and then tugged at his sides. I met his eyes and I could see now that he wanted me to lead by example. I gave him a coy smile and playfully reached down to rub along his black boxers. I slipped a finger or two past his waistband of his boxers and felt the warmth once again. His skin was smooth, and I was surprised to see that he had shaved his treasure trail.

"Peeta…I…" Cato started, but I shushed him with a kiss. "Are. You. Sure?" Cato said in between breaths, stressing each and every word slowly.

"I'm sure," I replied and then slid my tongue into his mouth. He moaned when I slid the rest of my fingers down under his boxers. I broke our embrace and trailed a few sweet kisses down his neck and toward his bare chest. I stopped when I got to his nipple and quickly gave him playfully smile before sucking down on it. I continued eagerly. I had a mission. I knew where the objective was. I would not stop. When I reached his belly button and planted a slow kiss down onto his soft skin, I could feel his body tense. He let out a groan, and then I pulled down his boxers and brought my lips down quickly…

* * *

The morning sun peered into the room through a small crack in the maroon curtains that hung down in the bedroom. As I woke up, I noticed that I was the only one in the bed. I quickly jumped up and started calling out for Cato. No reply. I started to panic. Just as I started to toss the bed sheets aside, I noticed the handle on the door turning slowly.

"Close your eyes." I recognized Cato's voice immediately. I smiled and did as he asked. I made it extra obvious by bring my hands up to covered my eyelids. I could hear the door creaking open slowly, and then a few steps, before feeling my weight shift on the bed. The smell hit me first. "Open up."

I was overwhelmed by the sight of freshly cooked breakfast when I opened my eyes. The food was endless. There were juicy looking strawberries diced into equally portioned slices; yellow-white bananas cut into little disks; fragments of blackberries dancing around the edges of the plate; and a multitude of blueberries which stained the corners of the waffle a purple-blue color.

"Wait for it," Cato said, and then bringing his arm forward from behind his back, began spraying a large amount of whipped cream over the entire plate. Following suit he reached down to the floor to grab a bottle of maple syrup and poured it all over the waffle. The smell was incredible. But it tasted even better. Every bite tasted better than the last. It sank in my mouth as I bit down into the pastry, through chunks of innumerable fruit. Cato fed me some from his fork, so I reached down and did the same. His teeth scraped against the metal fork as he pulled the food into his mouth and then seductively wiped away at some whipped cream that stained his lip. He had also prepared a side of bacon for me, which if it weren't for my appetite, would have been super sweet of him. I gnawed on the bacon rabidly, as if I had been starved for weeks. I was worn from last night and my hunger was not something to play around with. As I ate, I could feel my stomach's growling dissipating. I took the last bite of the fruit waffle and immediately knew that I had a splatter of whipped cream on my lip. I went to lick it off, but Cato beat me to the punch. He leaned over and kissed me playfully, which ultimately wiped away any trace of whipped cream left on my lips.

Cato was currently still shirtless from the night before, but he must have changed into pajamas at some point this morning, since he currently wore green and black plaid, fleece bottoms. His waistline was low enough that I could see his v-line hip structure, leaving a few inches between where his pants met his skin and his belly button. He must have noticed me looking over at him because he gave me a playful smile and then leaned in for another kiss. _Here we go again_.

I had changed into a grey long sleeve plain shirt, which Cato removed a few minutes into our kissing. He had a little bit of stubble this morning on his upper lip, which reminded me of Gale and the thought almost ruined the moment. But Cato was determined this morning, and he did make me a wonderful breakfast after all. I shifted to the side a little, and Cato mounted on top of me. His body sparkled in the sunlight that peered through the curtains, hitting his body in the nicest places. It casted a shadow between his abs and made his shoulders stand out more than they had last night. I let out a whimper when he reached down and started rubbing my pant leg, sending a shiver up the back of my exposed spine. It started out slow but increased as the tension grew between us. He surprised me when he moved down from my lips to plant a kiss on my neck. I could feel his warm breath as he sucked on the thin and vulnerable skin. It felt like the room was spinning. He had one hand on my groin and the other supporting his weight. I shifted as a bout of moaning erupted from my lungs. He looked up at me and seen the pleasure in my expression, which elicited a smile. When I looked down, I just caught a glimpse of his pearly white teeth before he pulled the strap of my pajamas open. I thought I was about to die from anticipation, when Cato's phone started ringing.

I let out a large sigh, and told him to answer it. His mouth contorted into an annoyed expression, and he bent over the bed to grab his phone in his jean pants, which lay on the floor. I wanted his body so bad. We could hardly get enough of one another.

"Yes?" Cato called into the phone, his voice on the verge of anger. He figuratively nodded a couple of the times and mumbled a few more replies before closing his phone. I was so relieved that the phone call only lasted a few seconds that I threw my head back, anxious to feel Cato's lips on my body again. He pulled himself up and kissed my cheek quickly, and then rolled over to the other side of the bed.

"What's going on?" I was a little upset and frustrated, but there was a side of me that was relieved. I was also a little worried about the phone call, so I quickly asked him again about the unknown caller before he actually answered me.

"That was my mom. She was worried about where I was last night…and she wants me to go home. I really don't want to leave. I want to stay here…with you…forever." His voice went from sad to heartbroken. I lifted his chin and gave him a soft kiss before looking him in the eyes.

"We have an endless amount of time. Go see your parents, I'm sure they're worried." My voice was strong, but I wasn't. I was sad that Cato and I couldn't be together for the day, but I knew that I couldn't keep him all to myself. I smiled and he smiled back. It was perfect; everything about the last few hours together had been more than I could have ever wished for.

"Alright babe. I love you, and I'll call you tonight. What do you think about going to see that new movie and completely making fun of the hopeless romantics?" Cato was back to his old self, happy and mischievous. And I absolutely adored it. I nodded in approval, and then he grabbed his pants and shirt from the floor from the day before, gave me a kiss on the cheek, opened the curtains, and walked out of the room.

I spent a little while lying there in the bed, watching as the suns rays danced along the ceiling in a lovely pattern. I could feel the heat as the sunlight hit the bed. When I was a little kid I used to have a tabby cat, which would sleep on the warm mattress for hours on end during the summer. He wasn't an especially nice cat to most people, but we had a great relationship. I recalled the autumn that he passed away, and I had not once bothered to buy another cat. The wounds were still sharp. I pushed away the thought and managed to pull the covers off of me, before leaving the room and heading for the bathroom.

I started the water in the shower and slowly removed my trunks. I stood looking at my naked body in the mirror for a few moments. My head cocked to the right as I inspected the blemish on my ribcage. I was glad that Cato hadn't noticed it, or at least didn't bring it up. I wouldn't want to spoil or moment with talk about Finnick O'Dair. The night that Cato had been arrested and Finnick tried to keep me from being caught by the police, I had mistaken him for an alleged attacker and a scuttle ensued. The yellow-brown bruise on my ribs was a reminder of that night. They had mostly healed, but I worried that Cato would ask where I had received it.

I stepped into the shower and immediately felt the warm water against my skin, which sent a ripple down my back. The steam from the shower filled the pores in my skin, and rejuvenated my muscles. I stand in the water for a while. I let it rush down my body. It dribbles down my arms and parades off of my fingertips. When I finally decide to begin washing myself, I grab the bar of soap in the corner and begin scrubbing away at all the dirt. The soap smelt like lavender and freshly cut grass, if that was possible. It might have just been the draft from the window, but nonetheless it smelt fantastic. I smiled and eventually turned the taps off. The water ceased and I was immediately hit with the cool wind. This was one of the things I hated most about taking a shower: you're cold when you undress; warm when you bathe; and freezing when you step out in only a towel.

I eagerly rushed to put on clothes. I had to borrow clothes from Cato's closet, since I hadn't been able to bring over some clothes in case of an emergency like this. I had to meet Katniss and Gale at the Everdeen household, so I didn't want to wear the same clothes that I had worn to school the day before. I decided on a very tight t-shirt that had a picture of a pint of beer on it, and my old jeans that were on the floor. I quickly grabbed the bed sheets and threw them into the washing machine, before heading out. I made sure to lock the door, and then threw the key in my pocket.

I called Gale to drive me, and swore him to secrecy about this place. He had had a lot of trouble finding it, and took him nearly an hour to actually get here, so I explored the backyard. There wasn't too much to see other than trees and a lake filled with kids and boats. I enjoyed watching a boy around my age as he went water boarding behind a speedboat. Gale called when he arrived, and I was happy to see that he had pulled up in the driveway in his dad's car. It was definitely a better ride than his old beaten up truck. Within a matter of minutes we were back on the freeway, trees passing by us in a flurry of green with the wind catching my hair.

"You look…happy," Gale said, breaking our silence. I turned to look at him slowly, a small piece of hair falling down across my forehead. Gale had turned his attention back to the road now and he reached toward the dashboard to turn up the radio. His expression was serious and almost mysterious. I smiled away the thought.

"It's because I am. I'm really happy."

We drove on in silence. I looked out the window to my right at the passing scenery. Besides the ever-expanding forest of evergreens and fern trees, there were a couple mansions here and there that scattered the countryside. There was a small marsh about half way between the city and Cato's cottage that overwhelmed me each and every time I passed by it. It was filled with lily pads, a thick green film of bacteria infested greenery, a shallow water hole in the middle and several different types of species. I noticed something different every time we passed by. This time I managed to see a multitude of herbaceous plants, such as red reeds that stuck out like a sore thumb and a large bed of typhas. I breathed in the sweet odor of woodland and marshland mixing together, which reminded me of Cato. His cologne was pine scented and he always had a way of captivating me. Every time I looked at him I noticed something different. Last night I noticed a birthmark on his right hipbone.

I didn't dwell on these thoughts for long, because the sound of gravel against the tires and a towering house before me signaled that we had arrived at Katniss' house. Gale turned down the music before turning to me slowly. He knew something and he wasn't telling me. He managed a smile and then he was gone. I pushed open the door and sent it closed with a loud _slam_. I rushed up the stoned pathway and up the stairs toward the door behind him.

When the door opened I could immediately smell the delicious aroma of fresh pie. Blueberry, I noted. I had a knack for pies from working in a bakery all day. Besides, every time Katniss had us over her mother was cooking something up. She was really quiet outside of class, but she definitely baked a mean pie.

I followed Gale up the stairs and crashed through the door to find Katniss painting her fingernails and atrocious bright pink color. It definitely didn't match her skin tone, but I didn't say anything, out of embarrassment of course. Some friend, I thought, and then laughed to myself. When she finally caught my eye she barreled over to me and embraced me in a big hug.

"Hey! How are you? Never mind answering that, you look amazing! New skin regime? No, that's not it." She searched my expression and I tried to hold back my large smile, but it was no use. "You. Did. Not. Tell me everything!" she screamed. Gale casually closed the door.

"It was great. Everything was perfect. There isn't much to say really…" my voice trailed off when I caught sight of her nails again.

"That's it? That's all we get?" Katniss' voice broke through the open air like a cannon going off a little too close to me.

"He probably wants to keep things private, Kat. Besides, I don't really want to hear all the 'juicy' details." I was thankful for Gale's interruption, which saved me from completely flustering under the pressure. I didn't feel like sharing my intimate moments with even my best friends, because it was something that Cato and I share together. Something that was sacred to me.

My phone began ringing in my pocket and I could feel the vibration against the fabric. It reminded me of this morning with Cato and the tingling sensation. I smiled before tossing my hand into my pocket and reaching for the phone. I pulled it up and placed it against my ear and issued a hello.

"Hey baby, where are you?" Cato's voice spoke even toned. Just hearing his voice felt amazing.

"I'm with Gale and Katniss. What's up?" I replied. Katniss and Gale looked at me with teasing glances, sticking out their tongues and hollering lovey-dovey comments in the background. I placed a finger to my other ear to drown out their mockery and took a seat at the computer desk in the corner of the room.

"I've got bad news and good news," was all that he said. I hated bad news, especially when it came from him.

"Bad news first," I replied. My nerves were racing and I was beginning to experience cold sweats. I spoke into the phone clearly, hoping that my voice would come out strong, but it lacked the usual fervor that it usually did.

"Alright, so the bad news is that I have to cancel tonight's date." I was crushed, but I accepted the fact and moved along.

"And the good news?" I said curiously. I was hoping that I'd receive some sort of news that would make up for not being able to see him for a while. We just spent the most magical night together and now we were separated.

"I'm not done." His voice was strong. I looked over at Katniss and Gale who were whispering to one another quietly and rolled my eyes. I breathed a sigh and beckoned for him to go on. "I'm going to be heading out of the city for a while to visit some relatives." I felt like my world was falling apart. I knew I was over exaggerating but it still hurt to think that I wouldn't be able to see my boyfriend for a couple days…or weeks. "But the good news is, you're coming with me."

"What are you talking about? I have school…work…family. I can't just drop everything and leave. Besides, I don't have any money right now what with college and university applications." The line was silent for a moment before Cato began speaking again. I could tell that he was trying to stifle a burst of laughter, which made me a little upset.

"My mom paid for the whole trip and she contacted the school already. Your school work is with Mrs. Everdeen." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was a lot to process in the moment. Almost as if she was listening in, Katniss' mom entered the room with a large envelope. She quickly told me all I had to know from my professors and she left the room after placing a simmering blueberry pie on the desk. I shifted a glance over to Gale who had a large smirk on the side of his face.

"Oh, and Peeta."

"Yeah?"

"We have our own room." I could feel the mounting tension over the line and knew exactly what Cato was thinking. He said a few more words and then hung up with an "I love you."

"And? Exciting news, isn't it!" Gale hollered. Katniss shot him a playful glance. I didn't.

"I'm ecstatic. I honestly can't wait to go. But there's something I have to do first." Both Katniss and Gale looked at me oddly, heads cocked to the side. "Kill you Gale!" The end of my shout was cut off when I playfully threw Gale onto the bed and started hitting him with the pillow. How could he keep this from me?!

And for once, everything in my life is perfect. It's just me and my two best friends, and an adventure awaiting for me with the love of my life. "Excited" is an understatement.

* * *

**Author's Note: So…this is my favorite chapter that I've written so far. I had two other alternate endings, but I thought that I'd keep things simple…or simpler, I should say. I hope you all enjoy this chapter at least half as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love happy chapters ~ but I'm also a sucker for tragedy. Prepare yourselves for upcoming chaos…but for now: just experience delight with the read (hopefully!). Until next time, B.**


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